Technology

North Korea technology tells a story of contradictions — a state that bans the internet but smuggles GPUs, promotes digital payments but surveils every transaction, and pursues AI while restricting information flow. Daily NK tracks smartphone use, cyber operations, hacking campaigns, domestic tech development, and the regime’s push to harness technology for both economic gain and social control — reported through sources inside the country.

Marketing revolution: N. Korean companies pitch privacy protection and free installation via text

Text message ads sent through smartphones are booming in North Korea, with users receiving over 10 commercial messages a day as companies compete to...

Kim Jong Un’s China visit yields new front in North Korea’s sanctions evasion campaign

The North Korean authorities established a "Korea-China Technical Collaboration Center" immediately after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited Beijing early last month, and...
space, sohae, fuel

North Korea elevates intelligence capabilities with new unified spy agency

North Korea has transformed its Reconnaissance General Bureau (RGB) into the Reconnaissance Information General Bureau, creating a unified intelligence agency that integrates satellite, cyber,...

North Korea launches app-based digital grain voucher system to control distribution

North Korea is launching an app-based system for rice distribution, with grain vouchers added to an electronic payment app on a trial basis in...

How China uses electronic devices to spread cultural influence in North Korea

Chinese local governments are quietly backing large-scale production of electronic devices designed specifically for the North Korean market, according to sources familiar with the...

N. Korea cracks down on intranet usage after document theft incident

North Korean state security officials recently examined email usage, intranet access and file viewing records at government agencies and schools in North Pyongan province. "The...
clinics, doctor

North Korean app database shows stark medical divide between capital and provinces

An analysis of a database from a North Korean smartphone application shows that Pyongyang has far more medical facilities than anywhere else in the...
North Korean university students seen helping with the rice farming at a farm in South Pyongan province.

N. Korea expands drone support for select farms, sparking inequality concerns

North Korea has increased pesticide and fertilizer spraying using drones on major farms since July. While the selected farms welcome this boost in state...

N. Korea launches mobile gambling despite information controls

North Korea's Samhung Electronic Wallet smartphone app now offers mobile lottery tickets with payouts worth tens of millions of North Korean won. Users can purchase...

N. Korean smartphone app evolved from simple ID tool to permanent surveillance platform

Daily NK has obtained both the original and upgraded versions of an app North Korea uses to identify mobile phone users. A comparison of...

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