A North Korean smartphone brand has opened a new shop among the skyscrapers on Pyongyang’s recently built Hwasong Street, according to NK News analysis, a sign the brand has become more popular despite the country’s economic problems during the pandemic.

The front of the Jindallae IT Exchange Company shop (진달래 정보기술교류소), featuring a large advertisement for previously unknown smartphone designs, appeared in a new segment about city landscaping airing this month on Korean Central Television (KCTV).

The store’s location in the center of a shopping strip facing the south entrance to the prestigious Hwasong Street suggests the brand has