Hands on with North Korea’s illegal phones

Summary

This video uncovers the hidden world of North Korean smartphones, revealing two rare devices—the Han 701 and Sam Tes 8—and their role in the country’s strict information control. Despite resembling global brands, these phones are deeply censored, with features designed to reinforce state narratives and limit outside influence. North Korean citizens are confined to a government-approved intranet and monitored via surveillance software that tracks every action, from autocorrected words to periodic screenshots. The video highlights how outdated technology and heavily controlled apps maintain the regime’s stranglehold on its population's access to information.

Takeaways

• 😀 North Korea’s smartphones are highly restricted, with smuggled models offering a rare glimpse into the daily life of North Korean citizens.
• 😀 Two types of phones are discussed: the Han 701 (budget model) and the Sam Tes 8 (flagship model), both exhibiting heavy censorship and software limitations.
• 😀 Autocorrect on North Korean phones censors words like 'Namhan' (South Korea) and replaces them with derogatory terms, highlighting the government's control over language.
• 😀 The Sam Tes 8 flagship phone features advanced censorship, including replacing 'North Korea' with 'Jose,' a historical name for the Korean Kingdom.
• 😀 The phones are running outdated software versions, with the Han phone stuck on Android 10 and the Sam Tes 8 on Android 11, making them five years behind modern devices.
• 😀 North Korean smartphones lack traditional internet access, instead offering a highly controlled 'Intranet' with slow speeds and access to government-approved content.
• 😀 The government's censorship extends to the camera and app interfaces, with software limitations preventing access to many external files and apps.
• 😀 Apps on North Korean phones are heavily restricted and often repurposed versions of popular international apps, such as Microsoft Word and Google Maps.
• 😀 The phones feature a surveillance system called 'Red Flag,' which monitors files and apps to ensure they are government-approved and may take periodic screenshots.
• 😀 The political and social context of the phones highlights the North Korean regime’s focus on national pride, censorship, and surveillance, with foreign content often excluded or modified.

Q & A

What makes the North Korean phones described in the script so rare and unusual?

The phones are extremely rare because they are smuggled out of North Korea, where the population is isolated from the outside world. Information about these phones is hard to come by, and the devices themselves are tailored to enforce the North Korean government's narrative, with heavy censorship and surveillance features.

How does the North Korean government use the Han 701 phone to control the population?

The Han 701, a budget phone, is heavily censored. For instance, typing 'Namhan' (South Korea) triggers an autocorrect to 'puppet state', and references to South Korea are altered or blocked. This censorship serves to reinforce the government's narrative that North Korea is superior and morally purer.

What differences exist between the Han 701 and the Sam Tes 8 phones?

The Han 701 is a budget phone, while the Sam Tes 8 is a flagship model. The Sam Tes 8 is presented as a more advanced device but shares a similar design to older Huawei phones, with a style resembling a mid-range Huawei device from 2021. It also has poor functionality, including a subpar camera and a problematic user interface.

Why does the Sam Tes 8 autocorrect 'oppá' to 'comrade'?

The autocorrection is part of North Korea’s censorship efforts. 'Oppá' is a South Korean term used for an older brother or boyfriend, but in North Korea, it is only acceptable to refer to family members with proper, government-approved terms. The 'comrade' correction reflects the regime's effort to control language and reinforce socialist ideologies.

What is the significance of the 'Mere' feature on North Korean phones?

'Mere' is a Wi-Fi equivalent in North Korea, but it is highly restricted. It requires personal information, such as a government ID and a North Korean SIM card, and provides access only to a curated North Korean Intranet, not the global internet. This reinforces the government's control over the flow of information.

How does the internet situation in North Korea contribute to information control?

North Korea’s internet is highly limited. Citizens cannot access the global web, only a controlled, slow North Korean Intranet. This restricts exposure to outside information, preventing the spread of foreign or non-government-sanctioned content, which is crucial for maintaining the regime's control over the population.

Why is the Sam Tes 8 described as a poor value despite being priced similarly to high-end phones?

The Sam Tes 8, despite being priced close to $1,000, offers outdated technology. It resembles a mid-range Huawei phone from 2021, with a subpar camera, buggy software, and a dated design. The phone's poor value is a result of North Korea’s lack of competition in the tech market and the government's focus on control rather than innovation.

What does the presence of unauthorized content on North Korean phones reveal about the regime's surveillance?

The presence of unauthorized content, such as media that is altered or ripped from international sources, shows that North Korea has a highly controlled media environment. Phones track all content that is downloaded or used, with surveillance software known as 'Red Flag' monitoring and restricting foreign files and apps, ensuring they conform to government standards.

How does the Red Flag surveillance software work on North Korean phones?

Red Flag is a deep-layer surveillance software that ensures all files, apps, and content on a phone are approved by the government. Unauthorized files are flagged and deleted, and periodic screenshots are taken, which cannot be deleted or viewed by the user. This makes it difficult to hide or store forbidden content without facing severe consequences.

How does the app and content distribution system in North Korea differ from the rest of the world?

In North Korea, apps must be authorized in-person at a physical store, where they are downloaded and activated. Additionally, many apps expire after a period and require payment for extension. This highly restrictive and slow system contrasts with the instant app downloads and updates available globally, reinforcing the government's tight control over information.