북한 스마트폰…태양의 후예 넣었더니 '순삭' [창 플러스] / KBS 2026.07.11.

[From the current affairs program 'Chang's Propaganda Leaflets and Mobile Phones'] North Korea unveiled its first smartphone in May 2013. Over 20 models have been released to date, including Arirang, Jindallae, and Samtaeseong. Korean Central Television "Today, mobile phones, as a means of mobile communication, are becoming an indispensable luxury item in our lives." [Interview] Jeong Si-woo / Defector in 2017 "You absolutely need a mobile phone to make friends. And even within mobile phones, people are quickly divided depending on whether they use a smartphone or a 2G phone like this." "So, there's a saying going around that everyone has a mobile phone except for the stray dogs passing by. As a result, when you take the subway or a bus, everyone is using their phones—it's similar to South Korea. There are people playing games on their phones, and people reading books on their phones." As of the end of last year, the number of activated mobile communication lines in North Korea was 7.85 million, with a penetration rate of 29.5% relative to the population. Starting in 2023, 4G networks also began to be installed. Authoritarian states like North Korea regard information control as the core of maintaining their regime. The proliferation of mobile phones was even interpreted as a sign that the information barrier was effectively collapsing. If so, are North Korea's smartphones really tearing down that wall? Oh Jung-hyun “I got it.” “I guess this is the model name.” The reporting team obtained two smartphones that were actually used in North Korea. Oh Jung-hyun / Reporter “This model is called the ‘Samtaeseong 8.’ The red model here is the ‘Haeyang 701.’ They are relatively recent models. Both have been identified as 2023 models.” Only connections to the internal network permitted by the state are possible; internet access is impossible. Contrary to the name "smartphone," the direct pathway to external information is effectively blocked. However, some convenience features resemble those we use. Oh Jung-hyun / Reporter “There is an electronic payment function? Electronic payment.” “If you press payment, transfer, or payment, a QR code appears.” “Things like banners (ad windows)... the internet wasn't connected, but they are working now. It seems like they were pre-programmed, just as they are.” However, a censorship function soon begins to control usage. Oh Jung-hyun / Reporter “Several features were discovered. First is the notification message function, which is equivalent to a text message in our country. However, if you enter certain words here, it triggers the censorship function. If you type ‘South Korea,’ it changes to ‘Puppet Region,’ and if you type ‘Korea,’ it is completely obscured by asterisks.” It also blocks the use of ‘South Korean speech patterns.’ If you type ‘Oppa,’ it changes to ‘Comrade,’ and a warning pops up stating that it can only be used among family members. Conversely, it warns against using ‘Jagiya’ (honey) between married couples. Oh Jung-hyun / Reporter “Also, if you look here, there is an app called ‘View History.’ It is a feature that captures the screen to show what the user is currently doing on their smartphone. It continuously captures the screen every 5 or 10 minutes, but the user cannot check what has been captured.” The reporting team entrusted a more detailed analysis of the device to an expert. Jang Hyuk, a former North Korean science and engineering elite. [Interview] Jang Hyuk / Former Researcher at the Department of Science and Education of the Workers' Party of Korea, defected in 2020 “My name is Jang Hyuk. I worked as a software engineer in North Korea before defecting in 2020. I am currently majoring in artificial intelligence at the Graduate School of Data Science at Seoul National University.” We conducted an experiment with Mr. Jang. We inserted an external memory card containing a video into a North Korean smartphone. The smartphone successfully reading the file. [Interview] Jang Hyuk / Former Researcher at the Science and Education Department of the Workers' Party of North Korea, defected in 2020 “You can see the folders we copied earlier, and we put the drama Descendants of the Sun in them. So, if you click on it like this, you can confirm that the video has been added. The video should open when you click, right? But like this…” Sorry, but this video cannot be played. “You can see that it automatically deleted the AVI file, thinking it was unauthenticated.” “(So it’s gone now?) “Yes, look now. It says it can’t play when you click, and then the file disappears.” “(Huh? It really disappeared.)” “If you try it one more time, and they check this file and decide it is unauthenticated as well, you can see the folder become completely empty.” The reason external video playback was blocked and even deleted was that the censorship program installed on the smartphone, ‘Red Flag,’ was running. [Interview] Jang Hyuk...