Kim Jong-un and the mysterious smartphone

This photo, published by the North Korean media, captures brilliant comrade Kim Jong-un at a meeting with national security advisers, writes the Telegraph. In addition, on it, on the table next to Kim's hand, a black smartphone is visible.

In South Korea, keenly interested in this picture. One of the Seoul officials told Agence France-Presse: "It is believed that the smartphone belonged to Kim, given that the device was located in close proximity to the documents he was looking at."
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In the South Korean media, a discussion flared up about the smartphone maker of the DPRK Supreme Leader smartphone. Among the options was called South Korean Samsung, Taiwanese HTC and Apple iPhone manufacturer. And apparently, Comrade Kim uses the HTC.

Samsung disown the phone immediately. According to the company, none of the Galaxy models crossed the border, and this is definitely not a Samsung phone.

An official from Seoul reported that the South Korean intelligence services had analyzed the photo and concluded that most likely the manufacturer is HTC. The Taiwanese firm refused to identify the device, but said in a statement that the company appreciates "support for all users."

South Korean journalists immediately decided that the brand was chosen for political reasons: "It would be politically inconvenient for Kim Jong-un to use products made in the USA ... and he cannot publicly support the fact that the South is more technologically advanced."

Although North Koreans live in perhaps the most informationally isolated society on the planet, the country is not exactly an IT desert. In 2002, an internal Intranet appeared here, and in 2008, mobile phones were launched through a joint venture with Egyptian telecommunications company Orascom.

However, one million mobile subscribers can only call each other, but not outside the country, and the Intranet is likewise cut off from the rest of the worldwide network.