A rare firsthand examination by the YouTuber Mrwhosetheboss has revealed two North Korean Android phones, providing an unprecedented glimpse into a comprehensive system of surveillance and control that goes far beyond the typical absence of Google apps caused by U.S. sanctions. These devices, including an entry-level model and a flagship called the “Samtaesung 8,” appear to have been meticulously engineered from the boot screen up to enforce strict language censorship, restrict global internet access, and log nearly every user action.
Rather than functioning like traditional smartphones, these devices operate as heavily modified Android forks designed to transform routine functions into tools of ideological enforcement that isolate users from the outside world. This aligns with previous reports by the BBC and technical analyses of North Korean software behavior seen elsewhere.
Language as a Tool of Censorship
The phones’ keyboards act as built-in censors. Words like “puppet state” and certain other politically sensitive terms are automatically replaced with asterisks or trigger warnings. Slang and pop-culture references linked to foreign media are autocorrected to regime-approved alternatives. Unlike simple browser keyword blocking, this curated dictionary is embedded into the operating system itself, shaping the language users can input, and effectively controlling what they can think about typing, searching, or sharing.
A Closed, National Intranet
Despite running Android 10 or 11, these phones do not connect to the open internet. Instead, they access a closed national intranet, similar to North Korea’s Kwangmyong network, populated exclusively by state-approved websites. Users cannot change basic system settings like time zone or date, which the government can control to enforce policies. Common apps such as the browser, calendar, camera, and music player appear familiar but function only within this tightly controlled environment, with no approved access to popular messaging services or global sites.
Apps as Instruments of Propaganda and Control
The pre-installed apps resemble a regime-controlled civics curriculum. They include authoritarian-themed games, leader biographies, and a media library filled with heavily edited foreign films repurposed for domestic propaganda. Any new app installations require physical approval at government-run stores, with permissions limited by time and device. Photos and files are watermarked with government seals, and unapproved content, such as foreign images or apps, is either blocked or deleted silently. These features echo North Korean desktop software tactics designed to ensure file integrity and traceability.
Surveillance by Design
One of the most disturbing features is the phones’ continuous, covert surveillance: they take screenshots periodically throughout the day, using these images to verify user activities accurately. File managers restrict access to sanitized folders, Bluetooth sharing is locked down, and normal export options like SD cards or USB connections are heavily limited or nonexistent. This built-in traceability and monitoring system shows that control is integral to the device’s design rather than an afterthought.
Broader Implications
While many countries impose connectivity limits or regulate apps, North Korea’s approach is uniquely comprehensive. Users are restricted in language input, confined to a national intranet, and subjected to pervasive monitoring, effectively erasing the notion of a personal device. For digital rights advocates, these phones starkly illustrate how smartphone architecture choices—from permissions to telemetry—can be harnessed for coercive control when accountability is absent.
The investigation by Mrwhosetheboss offers some of the clearest public insight into North Korean smartphones, revealing devices built not for personal communication but as tools of surveillance and propaganda. This serves as a warning of the dangers when a single platform dominates every level of user interaction: privacy and free expression vanish by design.
