Arirang
ManufacturerLocal vendor
TypeSmartphone
Form factorSlate
Operating systemAndroid
Data inputsMulti-touch, capacitive touchscreen
Push buttons

Arirang (Korean: 아리랑) is a line of North Korean Android smartphones. They were announced on 10 August 2013. The phone was distributed to local sales points operated by mobile operators such as Koryolink to be sold together with 3G SIM cards or as a stand-alone device. It is named after the "Arirang" Korean folk song.[1]

Kim Jong Un has expressed his excitement with and support of the smartphone, believing it will support the country's economy and "instill national pride and self-respect".[2][3]

Phones released in order - Arirang AS1201, Arirang 151, Arirang 152, Arirang 161, Gold Arirang which has a gold interior, the Double-sided Tachi Arirang FP68, Arirang 171 and Arirang 221.[4]

History

In 2013, Kim Jong-un toured a factory called the “May 11 Factory” that makes the ‘Arirang’ smartphone.[5] In the August of same year, first Arirang was released and was claimed to the first domestically produced smartphone though analysts say that “Arirang” is likely to be manufactured in China.[6] A Japanese blog compared North Korean Arirang AS1201 with Chinese Uniscope U1201. The two models had mostly the same specs.[7][8] According to Daily NK, in 2014, "Arirang" was sold for $400.[9]

In 2016, Arirang 151 was launched alongside a budget version, Arirang 152.[10] The phone had a slide out design. It had a 32GB memory chip and a 13 megapixel camera (4192 x 3104 pixel).[11] It also had an "app locker" on it.[12] These updated Arirang smartphone didn't allow Bluetooth file transfers from foreign phones.[13]

In 2017, Arirang 161 was released. It had a 4.7 inch screen and was equipped with 32GB memory card. It was also the first phone to have a fingerprint sensor.[14]

The Arirang 171 (아리랑171) was released in 2018.[15] The phone runs on Android Nougat and has a Core 2.6 GHz MT6797 chip from MediaTek, 5.5-inch panel, 4GB of RAM, dual-rear camera 13MP lens, 8MP front-facing camera, 32GB of ROM, a fingerprint sensor and support for 4K video recording.[16] The Arirang 171 can connect to the Mirae WiFi network.[17][18][19]

According to a Danish software developer in 2018, Arirang has features including Bluetooth, 3G connectivity, a microSD slot and 'encrypted' messaging. The phone also come with bonus: a 500MB propaganda video. Christian Budde Jensen said that phone comes with multiple games which are five versions of Angry Birds, Super Mario and Plants VS Zombies.[20]

According to CNN report, Arirang phones were sold for $350 in Pyongyang in 2017.[21] It costs 3.3 million KPW to buy an Arirang smartphone.[22]

From 2020 to 2023, Arirang have not released any new models.[23] In October 2023, a smartphone called “Arirang 221” appeared in a Korean Central Television video.[24]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Arirang, le smartphone nord-coréen". Lesnumeriques.com. 13 August 2013. Archived from the original on 3 September 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  2. ^ Rieser, Bennett (12 August 2013). "North Korea Unveils the Arirang, the Painfully Ironic Android Smartphone". WebProNews. Archived from the original on 4 July 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  3. ^ "Kim Jong Un Visits May 11 Factory". Archived from the original on 13 March 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
  4. ^ NK, Daily (16 November 2017). "Growing cellphone use sign of North Koreans thirst to access and spread information | Daily NK English". Archived from the original on 14 January 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Tech in Asia - Connecting Asia's startup ecosystem". www.techinasia.com. Archived from the original on 14 January 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  6. ^ "North Korea unveils Arirang- secure,homemade smartphone". The Indian Express. 13 August 2013. Archived from the original on 14 January 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  7. ^ "Tech in Asia - Connecting Asia's startup ecosystem". www.techinasia.com. Archived from the original on 25 November 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  8. ^ "北朝鮮スマホAriang AS1201のベースモデルUniscope U1201を購入｜Blog of Mobile!!～http://blogofmobile.com/に移転しました～". 6 October 2014. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2024.((cite web)): CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  9. ^ NK, Daily (13 November 2014). "Les téléphones mobiles en tête de liste des cadeaux que s'offrent les couples. | Daily NK English". Archived from the original on 14 January 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  10. ^ "403 Forbidden". errdoc.gabia.io. Archived from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  11. ^ NK, Daily (8 August 2017). "[Video] Promotional smartphone video targets new monied class | Daily NK English". Archived from the original on 14 January 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  12. ^ Gilbert, Jon (21 October 2022). "The wild, wonderful world of North Korean smartphones". Android Police. Archived from the original on 3 July 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  13. ^ Byrne, Leo (14 July 2016). "N. Korea's new phone limits file transfers from foreign devices". NK News. Archived from the original on 14 January 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  14. ^ protected, email (19 September 2017). "North Korean company launches new fingerprint scanner-equipped smartphone". NK News. Archived from the original on 14 January 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  15. ^ Martyn, Williams (20 March 2018). "Arirang 171 smartphone unveiled". North Korea Tech. Archived from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  16. ^ "North Korea's IT proficiency attracts attention worldwide". North Korea’s IT proficiency attracts attention worldwide (in Korean). Archived from the original on 14 January 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  17. ^ Ji, Dagyum (14 November 2018). Hotham, Oliver (ed.). "Smartphone-capable WiFi on show at Pyongyang IT exhibition, state TV reveals". NK News. Archived from the original on 14 November 2018. Company technician Hwang Yong Jo told KCTV in the footage that the Arirang 171 smartphone — first unveiled in March — improves user convenience by enabling people to access the internet on-the-go. Users would need to use a SIM Card to access the Mirae network, he added.
  18. ^ protected, email (19 March 2018). "North Korean company previews new Arirang 171 smartphone". NK News. Archived from the original on 1 October 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  19. ^ Williams, Martyn (20 March 2018). "Arirang 171 smartphone unveiled". North Korea Tech. Archived from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  20. ^ Daly, Ciarán (13 January 2022). "North Korean smartphones 'rarest in world' come with five Angry Birds apps". Daily Star. Archived from the original on 15 October 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  21. ^ Soong-joo, Park (13 July 2023). "North Korea's newest smartphone 'Samtaesong 8' mirrors Samsung Galaxy phones". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  22. ^ NK, Daily (28 April 2017). "Cell phone purchases up despite prohibitive costs | Daily NK English". Archived from the original on 14 January 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  23. ^ Hui, Mun Dong (17 April 2023). "N. Korea released at least five new smartphone models last year | Daily NK English". Archived from the original on 26 August 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  24. ^ Hui, Mun Dong (23 November 2023). "N. Korea relies on phone-based orders to sell new smartphone | Daily NK English". Archived from the original on 14 January 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
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