With the increasing popularity of mobile
phones throughout North Korea, residents in the country are following the popular international trend of taking “selfies,” or a photo
of oneself usually taken by oneself.
“Mobile phones were previously just a business
tool crucial to people’s livelihoods, but more recently they are also being
used for entertainment purposes as well,” a source in North Pyongan Province
told Daily NK on April 7th. “Performance and features vary between models, but
almost all phones have a camera so taking ‘selfies’ is one practice pretty much
everyone (with a phone) engages in.”
She explained that residents use the front camera function to capture photos with their friends in situations and
locations to create lasting memories–just as in the rest of the world.
Referred to by residents as “front pictures,” the source said they enable
people to freely control their poses and expressions and produce an indelible
memento at any moment. “You can get take these photos to studios
to have them developed in customized settings and sizes. It costs less than
directly taking photos in photo studios,” she said.
Unsurprisingly, as the popularity of turning the camera inward rises, so does the use of filters and photo editing functions. And with
more models introduced to the population, residents have more functions than
ever from which to choose. The “Arirang” model mobile phone, introduced last
year, is the most popular option for those able to afford it, beating out the Orascom-manufactured phone or the “Pyongyang,” a basic Chinese-made
Huawei mobile phone.
The popularity of the “Arirang” stems from
its touch screen feature–a revolutionary shift for a populace accustomed to push-button designs– enhanced game options, relatively high-pixel density, and a host of other advanced elements. Bluetooth technology allows them to easily share photos and songs, which many use as wallpaper and ringtones, respectively.
North Korean propaganda refers to the
“Arirang” as a domestic product, and rumors circulating among the public of its
superior semiconductor components helped drive the price of a single device up
to 500 USD.
As of May 2013, there were 2,000,000 mobile phones
in use in North Korea–meaning that approximately 1 in 12 residents possessed one of the devices at the time–though this figure would have undoubtedly grown by now.
