Rockets and foldable smartphones. Kim Jong-un’s menu includes technological innovation applied to the military and telecommunications fields. Despite North Korea being under sanctions and theoretically could not import or export electronic devices.
Yet, the image that appeared on the front page of the Rodong Sinmun, the regime’s official newspaper, is unmistakable: a foldable silver smartphone with a black leather case appears on the table next to the supreme leader.
According to South Korean analysts, it could be a Chinese phone, a Huawei Pocket S. But it is not excluded that it is a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. In this case, the irony of the story would increase, given that Samsung is the main giant smartphone manufacturer in South Korea.
According to the Joongang Ilbo newspaper, it is likely that the phone somehow arrived at Kim’s court from China, the big neighbor with which Pyongyang has recently reopened trade connections on the border. A luxury that North Korean citizens can rarely afford. Suffice it to say that, according to the Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) World Factbook, only about 19 percent of the country’s population has access to cell phones.
This is certainly not the first time Kim has been immortalized with electronic devices: in the past he had been shown in possession of various products from the US Apple, including iPads and Macbooks. This time, the foldable smartphone made an appearance as North Korea’s supreme leader oversaw the launch of a new ICBM on Wednesday, July 12. It is a Hwasong-18 rocket, which flew for 74 minutes and 1001 kilometers eastward, before sinking into the Sea of Japan about 550 kilometers from the Korean peninsula and not far from the Japanese archipelago.
“A great explosion” felt “all over the planet”, exulted Rodong Sinmun, who celebrates the move that came not by chance during the NATO summit in Vilnius. In fact, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol was also present in Lithuania, who signed an 11-point cooperation agreement with the Atlantic Alliance. Even the Japanese premier signed an agreement, this time in 16 points, even if the possible opening of a NATO liaison office in Tokyo has been postponed. The increasing insertion of South Korea and Japan into the workings of the Atlantic Alliance and the US defense architecture is seen as a “threat” by Pyongyang, which has threatened a “series of military offensives” until Washington and Seoul ” they will not change their posture.” Also due to tensions with China, tensions seem to have now reached one of the highest points in recent years. Which doesn’t stop Kim from showing off new generation smartphones.