N Korea launches new smartphone

North Koreans are using a new smartphone to look up foreign-language vocabulary, according to a report by Choson Sinbo, WSJ reported, citing a local newspaper.

Named “Pyongyang” — but nicknamed “Pyongyang Touch” among North Korean citizens, the report has said — the smartphone comes in pink, navy blue and white, a color palette reminiscent of recent iterations of Samsung Galaxy flagship phones.

The report quotes a 27-year-old North Korean citizen who says the Pyongyang Touch is more powerful and has a smoother shape than pre-existing smartphones.

The predecessor in question may be the Arirang smartphone, first announced in North Korea’s state media in August. Photos showed dictator Kim Jong Un inspecting a factory with finished boxes at the time but the phone appears identical to a model made by Chinese firm Uniscope Communications, according to a Japanese blog.

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