Testing North Korea's illegal smartphones

Summary by Krater

An in-depth analysis of two rare North Korean smartphones, the Haeyang 701 and Samtaesung 8, exploring their censorship, outdated software, heavily copied features, and the pervasive surveillance system that controls their use.

From the video

Answers: What are North Korean smartphones like and how do they work?

• North Korean smartphones
• Haeyang 701
• Samtaesung 8
• censorship and surveillance in North Korea
• cloned UI and app ecosystem
• Red Flag security software

What it concludes

• North Korean smartphones use aggressive auto-correction and censorship to block forbidden terms like South Korea and enforce state ideology.
• The Haeyang and Samtaesung phones lack standard internet access, offering only a heavily monitored and restricted intranet with very slow speeds.
• Both Haeyang and Samtaesung phones closely mirror outdated Chinese Huawei models and reuse stolen software, UI icons, and wallpapers.
• North Korean phones include an inescapable surveillance software called Red Flag that blocks developer settings, deletes unapproved media, and logs screenshots.
• Distributing or watching South Korean entertainment in North Korea is punishable by death, treating it with the same severity as drug crimes.
• Using Sally provides a functional, affordable international data plan for travel, avoiding the severe restrictions and high costs of local telecom systems.