Photo
August 08, 2012
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In a Starving Nation, Luxury for a FewNew York Times The South Korean news media, which scrutinizes every photo of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, zeroed in this week on one particular photo released by the North’s state-run media on Tuesday. It shows Mr. Kim watching an art performance by soldiers during a military visit, the first reported in the North Korean media since he fired the top army leader, Vice Marshal Ri Yong-ho, on July 15. But the photo also showed his wife, Ri Sol-ju, with something most North Korean women have never heard of, much less owned: a Christian Dior handbag. South Korean journalists did not take long to identify Ms. Ri’s handbag and its going price in Seoul: 1.8 million won, or $1,600. That is about 16 times the average monthly wage of a North Korean worker in the Gaeseong industrial park, a joint venture between North and South Korea that provides some of the best-paying jobs in the impoverished North.

In a Starving Nation, Luxury for a Few
New York Times

The South Korean news media, which scrutinizes every photo of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, zeroed in this week on one particular photo released by the North’s state-run media on Tuesday. It shows Mr. Kim watching an art performance by soldiers during a military visit, the first reported in the North Korean media since he fired the top army leader, Vice Marshal Ri Yong-ho, on July 15.

But the photo also showed his wife, Ri Sol-ju, with something most North Korean women have never heard of, much less owned: a Christian Dior handbag.

South Korean journalists did not take long to identify Ms. Ri’s handbag and its going price in Seoul: 1.8 million won, or $1,600. That is about 16 times the average monthly wage of a North Korean worker in the Gaeseong industrial park, a joint venture between North and South Korea that provides some of the best-paying jobs in the impoverished North.

Photo
July 30, 2012
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North Korean media reports North Koreans love North Korean tabletEngadget Remember those futuristic PCs we reported North Korea was producing last year? Well now the Democratic People’s Republic has unveiled a seven-inch flagship tablet called the Achim (Morning). Understandably, we don’t know what’s inside this 0.66-pound (300g) device with a five-hour battery life, but it’s apparently very popular with local students. There’s no word on the OS either, but a touch-friendly build of the homegrown Linux variant Red Star would make sense. Although unconfirmed, sources suggest internet connectivity is wholly absent, with a pre-loaded selection of fun, state-approved content available instead. Eager to get your hands on a Kim Jong-unPad? Well, you can’t.

North Korean media reports North Koreans love North Korean tablet
Engadget

Remember those futuristic PCs we reported North Korea was producing last year? Well now the Democratic People’s Republic has unveiled a seven-inch flagship tablet called the Achim (Morning). Understandably, we don’t know what’s inside this 0.66-pound (300g) device with a five-hour battery life, but it’s apparently very popular with local students. There’s no word on the OS either, but a touch-friendly build of the homegrown Linux variant Red Star would make sense. Although unconfirmed, sources suggest internet connectivity is wholly absent, with a pre-loaded selection of fun, state-approved content available instead. Eager to get your hands on a Kim Jong-unPad? Well, you can’t.

Video
May 25, 2012
3 notes

North Korean film exposes Western Propaganda
A North Korean movie shows and discusses western propaganda, citing that the media is controlled by skilled liars.