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North Korea's Haeyang 701 phone screenshots user activity, sends to authorities

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North Korea's Haeyang 701 phone screenshots user activity, sends to authorities

North Korea's Haeyang 701 smartphone automatically screenshots all user actions and sends them to authorities, with no option to delete the files. The device, released in 2023 and smuggled out of the country, was examined by The Wall Street Journal. It connects only to the state-run intranet and costs about $250.

Key Facts

  • The Haeyang 701 smartphone was released in North Korea in 2023 and smuggled out of the country for examination by The Wall Street Journal.
  • The phone automatically screenshots all user actions and stores them in a special folder that cannot be deleted by the user.
  • The device connects only to North Korea's state-run intranet, not the global internet.
  • The phone automatically highlights Kim Jong Un's name in bold and warns users when they attempt to write the South Korean term for South Korea.
  • The smartphone costs about $250 and is estimated to be owned by only about 10 percent of North Koreans.

Device Capabilities

The Haeyang 701 allows calls, messaging, taxi hailing, QR-code payments, movie watching, and gaming. Instead of global internet access, the phone connects only to North Korea's state-run internal network. The device automatically corrects 'incorrect' words and replaces some South Korean slang terms with neutral alternatives.

Surveillance Features

The phone automatically takes screenshots of user actions and saves them in a special folder. Users cannot delete these files or the application itself; only authorities have access to them. The phone highlights Kim Jong Un's name in bold and warns users when they attempt to write the South Korean designation for South Korea.

Market Penetration

The Haeyang 701 costs about $250. A former North Korean military officer estimated that only about 10 percent of the country's residents own such a smartphone.

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North Korea's Haeyang 701 phone screenshots user activity, sends to authorities

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