A “new” North Korean smartphone boasting high-tech features and a design resembling an older model from South Korea’s Samsung is gaining in popularity domestically, the DPRK external-focused outlet Arirang Meari reported.

An article promoting the “Kiltongmu” (길동무) brand phone, released on the outlet’s website on Monday, described features such as face recognition and fingerprint unlocking, and included an image showing the phone’s resemblance to the Samsung Note 8.

The phone, the article reported, was designed and manufactured completely in-house by the Kwangya Trading Company (광야무역회사) — a company which has not previously been named in North Korean media. 

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