Kim Jong-il
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North Korean media reports North Koreans love North Korean tablet
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 Korea makes using a cellphone a war crime during 100 day mourning period
Dear Leader may have blessed his subjects with the gift of 3G in 2008, but in his death he is taking it back... at least temporarily. As part of the country's 100 days of mourning, cellphones have been banned within its borders. If you're caught pulling out a portable to make a call, send a text or get directions to the nearest statue of the departed dictator you'll be charged as a war criminal -- that means serious time in a labor camp or death. Fun! Then again, in a nation where the average income is about $1 a month and cellphone ownership is a highly restricted privilege, we can't imagine too many people have anything to worry about. Sadly, this also means there's one less way to get information out of the already hard to crack territory.
Kim Jong-il has hackers farming MMOs for in-game coin (and, we assume, Aviators)
It all makes sense now -- North Korea's infamously deluded dictator, Kim Jong-il, wants to be king of the castle in NCsoft's MMO Lineage, completely explaining his fetishes for extravagance and naked discos. Kim has hired a team of hackers to farm Asian MMOs for in-game coin, which they sell online for cash IRL, according to South Korean officials. Kim's hackers hail from North and South Korea, and work with operatives in Northern China, four of which were arrested last week in Seoul for organizing a hacking squad of 30 people, authorities said. In less than two years, the organizers made $6 million, 55 percent of which went to the hackers, and some of that to Kim's agents in Pyongyang, Seoul police said. Officials believe the hackers report to a mysterious Communist Party agency named Office 39, which earns money for Kim through drug trafficking, arms sales and other illegal activities. Kim's slush fund is worth billions, American and South Korean officials said, and he uses it, in part, to fund a nuclear weapons program. This is truly upsetting, because the only thing more depressing than a nuclear attack is a nuclear attack funded by MMOs.
Homefront intro cuts Kim Jong-il images for Japanese market
After bringing Metro 2033 and Red Faction: Guerrilla to Japanese retailers, Spike has been tasked with adapting THQ's Homefront as well. Unlike the previous titles, however, Homefront's main themes clash with acceptable game content standards in the country, according to Japan's CERO game rating guidelines. In order to bring the game up to code, Spike has detailed three main changes on the game's official Japanese website (via Andriasang): In one live action sequence in the game's opening movie that depicts North Korean leader Kim Jong-il as having died, the image of Kim Jong-il has been removed. In scenes that have been deemed malicious to an existing country, said country is now referred to as 'A Certain Country to the North.' In scenes that have been deemed malicious to an existing person, said person is now referred to as 'Northern Leader.' We've dropped edited and unedited versions of the game's opening after the break for comparison's sake. Glory in the Great Leader or not -- the choice is yours!
Charlie Miller and Kim Jong-Il could pwn the Internet with two years, $100 million
Well there's one thing we can say about Charlie Miller -- he sure is an ambitious rascal. When not busy exposing security holes in OS X, our fave security expert (aside from Angelina Jolie in Hackers, of course) has laid out a shocking expose based on the following premise: if Kim Jong-Il had a budget of $100 million and a timeline of two years could North Korea's de facto leader (and sunglasses model) take down the United States in a cyberwar? It seems that the answer is yes. Using a thousand or so hackers, "ranging from elite computer commandos to basic college trained geeks," according to AFP, the country could target specific elements of a country's infrastructure (including smart grids, banks, and communications) and create "beacheads" by compromising systems up to two years before they pulled the trigger. Speaking at DEFCON this weekend, Miller mentioned that such an attack could be carried out by anyone, although North Korea has a few advantages, including the fact that its infrastructure is so low tech that even destroying the entire Internet would leave it pretty much unscathed. That said, we're not worried in the least bit: if the diminutive despot brings down the entire Internet, how is he ever going to see Twilight: Eclipse?
North Koreans love their spotty cellphone service
It's been nary a year since the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (aka "the North") got its very own 3G network, and now the Daily NK is reporting that -- no surprise -- cellphone use has taken the capital by storm. "Demand for mobile phones has been increasing" said one source. "Almost 30 percent of Pyongyang citizens seem to be using them." Still, this is the same country that refers to Kim Jong-Il as "Dear Leader," so while things are certainly looking up for Pyongyangites, there are any number of restrictions. For instance, not just anybody with disposable income can pick up one of these things -- the devices are still off-limits to cadres in the Central Committee of the Party and foreigners. In addition, using two phones simultaneously is illegal, as well as using a phone in someone else's name. And you thought the T-Mobile store was a pain in the ass? When an individual or a group of workers buy a phone, they must get a stamp from their home village, and then submit an application to the Communications Center -- all this for the privilege of having the government listen to their phone calls. There is no word on what phone / phones are available, but we do know that one will cost you between $90 and $120. Charges are reportedly ₩3,000 (around $20) a month for eight hours of talk time, with an additional €15 (also around $20) surcharge if you go over. Service is currently only available in Pyongyang and Sariwon, but apparently the service in Sariwon "kinda sucks." So really, service is only available in Pyongyang. And you know what? If you're reading this, you're probably not in Pyongyang.
Orascom flips on 3G network in North Korea
North Korea can't even figure out how to sufficiently feed all of its citizens, yet Kim Jong Il and his comrades are about to read this on 3G speeds while throwing back a fifth of SoCo and catching a pirated Bollywood flick on BetaMax. Egypt's Orascom Telecom is about to flip the switch on the first 3G network in the nation, which was announced back in May. The outfit is expected to invest a staggering $400 million building it out over the next three years, thought it's expected to really only benefit the evil elite. Too bad it's easier to get out of a maximum security prison than it is to hop a flight into Pyongyang and see if this is more than some elaborate hoax to show the world how much life in the Hermit Kingdom is improving.[Via textually]
Kim Jong Il: tiny tyrant, self-proclaimed internet expert
While a great many individuals have an (understandable) beef with North Korea's polarizing leader, there's a decent chance that even more people would scoff at his latest comment. During summit talks this week with South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, Kim Jong Il called himself an "internet expert," after which we assume the entire room erupted with laughter. Granted, the guy must have some sort of outside connection to still receive his tunes and booze once the US got involved, but suggesting that "only the industrial zone" be wired for web access is questionable at best.
Kim Jong-Il's iPod, wine orders to get denied by US
If you've ever wondered what happens when you run an entire nation into the ground, bar almost every type of contact with the outside world, launch nuclear bomb tests against the orders of outsiders, and still try to order an iPod, well, now you know. North Korea's highly dodgy Kim Jong-Il will reportedly be "doing without luxuries" such as iPods, jet skis (saywha?), jewelery, designer clothes, and fine wines as the US implements an all-out ban against selling these goods to the power-trippin' leader. The nation's elite often enjoy lavish luxuries of first-world countries while the vast majority of its people are left without bare necessities, and apparently, new sanctions are trying to put an end to it. While this case has certainly been made before, individual countries were previously allowed to "make their own decisions," however the United States has now taken a stand by barring all luxury sales to Mr. Kim and his constituents -- which will probably do nothing outside of producing a sudden swell in iPod knockoff orders to the DPRK, unfortunately.[Thanks, SRW985]
Samsung partners with SK Telecom, launches Q40-HSDPA
While it hasn't been too awfully long since Samsung doused its Q40 ultraportable in pink, the company is now looking to grab the attention of HSDPA fans by shoving such support into the lappie (and toning down the color scheme, too). Partnering with SK Telecom, the Q40-HSDPA will offer T-Login connectivity throughout South Korea (unless Kim Jong Il illegally snags one just North of the divide), and will also pack a 12.1-inch WXGA display, Intel's U1400 Core Solo processor, 1GB of RAM, a smallish 60GB hard drive, and a T-DMB receiver to boot. The machine will weigh in at just 2.6 pounds, and should be hitting the streets of Seoul soon for a slightly painful 2,300,000 KRW ($2,472).
US to block sale of major electronics to Kim Jong Il
We're not sure which is funnier, that Kim Jong Il is a fan of "luxury items" ranging from cognac to "iPods, plasma televisions and Segway electric scooters" (Yo, Mr. Kim, let's talk shop sometime, ok?) or the fact that the US really thinks its measures, which will likely be ineffective, can stop the Dear Leader's ability to buy these items. In an Associated Press article, William Reinsch, a former senior Commerce Department official, said that iPods and laptops (we're assuming he means in North Korea) are "untraceable and available all over the place." If that's true, then the government's plan is definitely screwed, and perhaps Secretary Rice should give us a call instead. Here's why: if in 2000, then-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright can present Mr. Kim with a signed basketball by Michael Jordan, and then get a state dinner in Pyongyang as a thank you, imagine what a Steve Jobs-signed iPod delivered by the editors of Engadget would do for foreign relations. Seriously, Secretary Rice and President Bush, we await your call.[Thanks, Mack S.]
