Buzz
Always determined to showcase their superiority over Western adversaries, the North Korean leadership is known for making grandiose claims and embellishing its accomplishments. In the realm of technology, North Korea has been particularly keen on highlighting its numerous locally-developed innovations.
The country's guiding ideology, Juche, emphasizes self-sufficiency for the Korean people. In line with this principle, these so-called inventions are often used as propaganda to convince the public that the country is on par with global technological progress. However, a closer look reveals that many of these supposed 'innovations' are typically low-quality knockoffs of products from abroad.
10. Arirang Mobile Device
Named after a traditional Korean folk song, the Arirang is North Korea's initial foray into producing its own smartphone. Unveiled in 2013, the device was reported by state-run media to be entirely domestically produced. Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un personally examined the phone in an effort to promote it.
The phone seems to operate on a modified version of the Android OS, but its actual usability is dubious, as there is no access to the global Internet within North Korea. Koryolink, the country’s exclusive mobile provider, limits calls to within the country and grants access only to a select few websites on North Korea’s “intranet.”
The phone's design has raised doubts among experts, with many pointing out its striking resemblance to the budget-friendly Chinese Uniscope U1201 smartphone (shown in the image above). There are speculations that the Arirang might be manufactured in China and sent to North Korean “factories,” allowing the regime to claim credit for the technology.
9. Red Star Operating System
Red Star OS is North Korea’s official operating system. Developed to separate itself from the American-made Windows, North Korea began working on its own OS in 2002. Red Star OS closely mimics Mac OS X but is actually a heavily customized version of Linux. The OS features a modified Firefox browser called Naenara, meaning 'my country' in Korean, which provides access to the country's closed intranet.
The operating system was designed with strict information control in mind. Red Star includes a unique “watermarking” feature that tracks file distribution, enabling the North Korean government to monitor and restrict foreign media shared via USB drives. The OS is also highly secure against tampering; attempting to disable the firewall triggers an automatic reboot of the computer.
8. Junma Premium Vehicle
The Junma is a replica luxury car manufactured by Pyeonghwa Motors, a joint venture between a politically influential South Korean church and a North Korean state-run enterprise. Pyeonghwa Motors holds exclusive rights to vehicle production and sales in North Korea and is the only company known to use billboard advertising within the country.
The Junma is Pyeonghwa’s flagship “luxury” sedan, modeled after a South Korean car that is itself a replica of a mid-1990s Mercedes-Benz E-class. Despite being the most powerful car in Pyeonghwa’s range, the Junma’s 197-horsepower engine is far from matching the performance of modern sports cars. Given that ordinary North Koreans are not allowed to drive, the Junma is likely reserved for high-ranking officials.
The production numbers for the Junma remain undisclosed, but Pyeonghwa Motors is estimated to produce around 1,000 vehicles annually. Interestingly, the company does export some cars to Vietnam, so if you're interested in purchasing one of these “luxury” vehicles, you might be able to find one there!
7. Samjiyon Tablet
The Samjiyon is a tablet computer developed in North Korea and launched in 2012. The device runs a basic Android system and is priced at $200. Much like the Arirang smartphone, its browser is limited to North Korea’s tightly controlled intranet. The tablet does not support Wi-Fi but includes a TV tuner that is preset to the frequencies of the country’s two state-run television channels.
The Samjiyon tablet comes preloaded with a surprising variety of apps, including a Chinese tank game and a localized version of 'Angry Birds Rio.' Additionally, it features a reading app filled with books on Kim Il Sung, children's etiquette, and language education. While it runs on Android, the device lacks Google Play and all other Google services, making it impossible to download new apps. Essentially, the Samjiyon offers only what it comes with.
A review by a tourist who managed to purchase the Samjiyon at a gift shop in Pyongyang describes the tablet as 'surprisingly impressive.' The device’s specifications are on par with other models from 2012, and the reviewer noted that it performs with great responsiveness and minimal animation lag. There's speculation that part of the tablet's manufacturing could involve a Chinese company.
6. Type 73 Light Machine Gun
The Type 73 light machine gun is one of the few domestically produced firearms in North Korea, as the majority of the army’s weapons are Soviet replicas. The Type 73 is a curious mix of Eastern Bloc designs, combining the body of a Soviet PK machine gun with the feed mechanism from a Czechoslovakian Vz.52. It uses a dual-feed system, allowing it to fire from either a top-mounted box magazine or an ammo belt. The gun features a wooden handle and buttstock, a significant departure from the plastic composite parts found in most modern machine guns.
Surprisingly, the Type 73 has been seen in the hands of militants across Africa and the Middle East. Iran received several units from North Korea during the Iran-Iraq War, and later, the weapon was spotted in the hands of pro-Assad forces in the Syrian Civil War and Houthi rebels in Yemen. Many of these weapons might actually have been made in Iran, where factories began mass-producing copies after receiving the initial North Korean shipments. Despite being a copy of a copy, the Type 73 has proven to be relatively durable in these conflicts.
5. Kwangmyongsong-1
Kwangmyongsong-1, meaning 'Bright Star 1,' was North Korea's first satellite, launched in August 1998. North Korean state media hailed it as a major success, claiming that it broadcasted patriotic hymns in Morse code while orbiting Earth. However, the satellite was never detected by any American tracking stations, and experts later concluded that it likely only reached a low orbit before plummeting into the ocean.
Like many other technologies on this list, Kwangmyongsong-1 may have been a Chinese imitation. Its polyhedral design bears a striking resemblance to China's Dong Fang Hong I satellite, which in turn has features similar to an earlier American satellite. Despite the satellite’s dubious design and functionality, North Korean state media touted the launch as a triumph, claiming it 'encourages the Korean people in the efforts to build a powerful socialist state under the wise leadership of General Secretary Kim Jong Il.'
4. Vinylon Fiber
The creation of Vinylon fiber dates back to the period of Imperial Japanese rule over Korea. In 1939, a Korean chemist, working alongside his Japanese colleagues, developed this synthetic fiber. After the Korean War, the inventor defected to North Korea, and the Kim regime claimed the fiber as their own. With international sanctions blocking access to essential raw materials, North Korea promoted Vinylon, which could be easily produced from local resources, as a solution to their self-sufficiency problems.
Vinylon fiber quickly became a powerful propaganda symbol for the North Korean government. It was proudly referred to as the 'Juche fiber,' after the country's official ideology. The regime built a large 'Vinylon city' to manufacture the fiber and heavily marketed it as an example of North Korean self-reliance. In a patriotic song titled 'How Grand Socialism Is!' the lyrics praise the fiber, saying, 'the vinylon fabric pours out like a waterfall.'
Ironically, just as the Juche ideology it symbolized, Vinylon fiber ultimately did not prove sustainable. After mass production began, the fiber fell out of favor with the rise of other synthetic textiles like nylon. Nowadays, North Korea imports vast amounts of foreign textiles to produce uniforms, rendering the once-celebrated 'Juche fiber' obsolete.
3. Hwasong-10 Missile
The Hwasong-10, also known as the Musudan, represents one of North Korea's latest advances in ballistic missile technology. This missile, capable of striking US military bases in the Pacific, has been the subject of numerous controversial tests, escalating tensions in the region.
As expected, North Korea did not develop the Hwasong-10 entirely on its own, relying on support from allied Communist nations. The project began in the 1990s when North Korea enlisted Russian engineers to assist in the creation of a missile based on an older Soviet design.
The initial two launches of the missile ended in failure, and the third test reached only a short distance. The fourth test saw the missile explode on the launch pad, resulting in the death of several personnel. Subsequent tests showed improved performance, raising concerns among U.S. military officials that the missile could be used to target Guam.
2. Manbang Streaming Service
A select group of North Korean citizens with extra income have the opportunity to enjoy on-demand content through a service called Manbang. Introduced in 2016, Manbang streams content to TVs using a set-top box. Similar to the intranet, the content is mostly limited to state-approved news and films, but it also includes educational programs focused on English and Russian language learning.
1. Kwangmyong Intranet
As noted earlier in this article, North Korean citizens do not have unrestricted access to the global Internet, but instead are confined to a limited set of government-approved websites. This national intranet system, known as Kwangmyong, is accessible only within the country. Much like North Korea itself, the Kwangmyong is shrouded in secrecy. However, the limited information available about it indicates that the system is quite narrow in scope. It is mainly used by libraries, universities, and various government institutions.
Estimates suggest that the Kwangmyong contains between 1,000 and 5,000 websites—all controlled by the government. Among these sites, you’ll find the usual state-run news agencies, including a special section titled ‘Supreme Leader’s Activities,’ which covers the latest endeavors of Kim Jong Un. In addition to propaganda and official matters, the Kwangmyong also offers its own search engine, social media platform, and messaging service.
The Kwangmyong system has some distinctive features that may surprise regular Internet users. A tourist photograph of a poster in a North Korean library reveals that the website addresses are purely numeric. These numbers, the IP address of a site, are used by computers to direct traffic but are generally paired with word-based domain names for easier access. Imagine typing a long string of numbers every time you want to visit Mytour. Another unusual aspect of Kwangmyong sites is that the names of the Great Leaders, Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung, must appear in bolder text, 20 percent larger than the surrounding content.
