Recently, the tech blog Gizmodo compiled 30 photos showcasing North Korea's current status in the technology sector, a country often referred to as the "mysterious nation." Contrary to many people's expectations, tech products such as PCs, mobile phones, tablets, and digital cameras are increasingly becoming part of more North Koreans' daily lives.
On September 25, 2012, during a trade exhibition at the Three Revolutions Exhibition Hall in Pyongyang, a domestically developed tablet computer from North Korea was unveiled.
A North Korean woman checks her phone on the streets of Pyongyang. Although North Korean mobile phones cannot access the internet or make international calls, the country currently has approximately two million mobile phone users.
On January 25, 2013, artillery troops of the Korean People’s Army participated in military exercises.
A screenshot from a televised broadcast on February 22, 2008, shows workers operating equipment at the Yongbyon nuclear reactor.
On January 8, 2013, students worked on computers inside a computer laboratory at Kim Il-sung University in Pyongyang.
On December 12, 2012, scientists and technicians at the headquarters of the North Korean Satellite Control and Command Center watched the launch of the Unha-3 rocket. The launch site is located in a small village on the western coast of North Korea, only 56 kilometers from the Chinese border city of Dandong.
On December 12, 2012, scientists and technicians operated computers at the headquarters of the North Korean Satellite Control and Command Center to control the launch of the Unha-3 rocket.
On September 25, 2012, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended the annual meeting of the Supreme People's Court of North Korea via a Toshiba large-screen TV in a hotel in Pyongyang.
In 2012, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (not pictured) attended the completion ceremony of the Ryonam People's Pleasure Ground in Pyongyang and took a test ride on a carousel.
On April 15, 2012, a vehicle carrying a new type of missile passed through Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang during a military parade marking the centenary of the birth of former North Korean leader Kim Il-sung.
On April 3, 2011, an amateur women's football match was held at Kim Il-sung Stadium in Pyongyang, where a young girl used a digital camera to take photos by the sidelines.
An electric trolleybus manufactured by a North Korean company travels on the streets of Pyongyang.
On April 26, 2012, a North Korean woman walked past the under-construction Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang. Upon completion, the hotel will stand at 105 stories tall.
In 2012, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (not pictured) inspected a secret airbase in North Korea, where several fighter jets were participating in military exercises.
Puhung subway station in Pyongyang, built 100 meters below ground, also serves as a nuclear shelter.
At the reception desk of a hotel in Pyongyang, a female clerk completes a transaction using a local North Korean credit card. Influenced by China, card payment has started to gain popularity in North Korea. This new consumption model is part of the economic development plan promoted after Kim Jong-un came to power.
Magnetic tapes for sale at the First Department Store in central Pyongyang.
At Pothongmun Street fish meat shop in central Pyongyang, employees wait for customers. The shop features advanced access control systems, freezers, and cash registers.
Ri Myong-stadion in Pyongyang is the largest stadium in the world, capable of accommodating up to 150,000 people.
North Korean elementary school students learning how to use computers.
A man takes out a video camera to record a video after climbing Mount Kumgang with his friend as a keepsake.
This isn't an e-book but a pop-up book. In the library of Kaeson Kindergarten, a North Korean teacher opens a children's book that depicts an American soldier chopping down a North Korean woman with an axe.
Scientific propaganda about self-developed rockets is everywhere in North Korea. This is a calendar from 2013 hanging on the wall of a Pyongyang hair salon, featuring the Unha-3 rocket.
In 2012, two men had their photo taken by a companion after playing bowling at a bowling alley in Pyongyang.
A car carrying a North Korean unmanned aircraft drove past during the military parade marking the 100th anniversary of Kim Il-sung's birth.
In the computer room of Kim Il-sung University in Pyongyang, an administrator's computer monitors the usage of computers. It is a HP computer running a domestically developed operating system.
Inside the Great Three Revolutionary Exhibition Hall, North Korean tour guide Kim Won-ho introduces tourists to North Korea's artificial earth satellite. According to official North Korean statements, the country's space exploration began 14 years ago when "Gwangmyongsong-1" was sent into orbit, and it has been broadcasting music praising Kim Il-sung ever since.
These two images come from Instagram, taken by Associated Press journalists early in 2013, when foreign tourists were first allowed to bring mobile phones into North Korea. Now, the domestic North Korean telecommunications operator Koryolink has further relaxed its policies, allowing foreign tourists to access the internet via 3G networks within North Korea.
During a meeting attended by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, a mobile phone was placed on the table. Media analysis confirmed that this was a phone produced by the Chinese mobile phone manufacturer HTC.