According to data recently obtained by this newspaper, North Korea released a new smartphone, the ‘Pyongyang 2438’, in November of last year. The exterior design is similar to Apple’s iPhone, with sleek curves and a sophisticated finish, adding a sense of luxury.
The most noticeable feature of this product is the triple lens, which is identical to the iPhone. It appears that the ‘Pyongyang 2438’ has a camera lens with a design similar to the triple lens introduced in the iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max models announced in September 2019.
This is a design that reflects the global smartphone trend, and it is believed that North Korea is targeting the wealthy class to attract foreign currency. However, it is unknown whether the quality and functions of taking photos and videos, including ultra-wide, wide-angle, and telephoto lenses, are the same as those of the iPhone.
In addition, various functions such as photo translation, voice translation, and simultaneous interpretation that support English, Chinese, Russian, and Japanese that were not available in the previously released models have been newly added. It seems that it was added as a new tool for North Korean residents to understand foreign language documents or communicate with foreigners.
IT expert and defector Kim (pseudonym) said, “Judging from the appearance of this product, it seems that North Korea is continuously releasing new smartphones as part of a strategy to absorb foreign currency,” and “However, it is unlikely that residents will access information services such as the Internet through this product.”
He added, “In North Korea, cell phones are often seen as a symbol of wealth and power,” and “Based on the design of the ‘Pyongyang 2438,’ it is likely that it was released targeting the wealthy class.”
There are various smartphone brands in North Korea, including Blue Sky, Cheongsong, and Pyongyang. Among them, the Pyongyang series is considered the highest-end flagship model. It is known that the Pyongyang series, which applies the latest technology, is released every year and is receiving considerable attention from the wealthy class. ***This article was translated by Google and may differ from the Korean version.
