Kim Jong-un, Kim Yo-jong previously spotted using foldable devices; independent development and production capabilities remain in doubt

A new foldable smartphone called "Pureun Haneul 2026," made by North Korea's Pureun Haneul Trading Company, was displayed at the 18th Pyongyang Autumn International Exhibition of Products, held Oct. 26-30 at the Pyongyang Youth Center. Left: a visitor demonstrates the foldable phone on the exhibition floor. Right: a promotional display for the "Pureun Haneul 2026" at the company's booth. [Choson Sinbo, Korean Central TV]
A new foldable smartphone called "Pureun Haneul 2026," made by North Korea's Pureun Haneul Trading Company, was displayed at the 18th Pyongyang Autumn International Exhibition of Products, held Oct. 26-30 at the Pyongyang Youth Center. Left: a visitor demonstrates the foldable phone on the exhibition floor. Right: a promotional display for the "Pureun Haneul 2026" at the company's booth. [Choson Sinbo, Korean Central TV]

A foldable smartphone that unfolds horizontally has been put on display in North Korea.

Choson Sinbo, a pro-Pyongyang newspaper based in Japan, on Friday reported on a range of electronics exhibited by North Korean companies at the 18th Pyongyang Autumn International Exhibition of Products, held Oct. 26-30 at the Pyongyang Youth Center.

Photos released from the event show a foldable phone capable of folding and unfolding its screen from side to side. The device's display appears to feature icons for a calendar, clock, camera, music player and what looks like a voice-search function. No specific model name, screen size or technical specifications were disclosed.

The phone appears to have been exhibited by Pureun Haneul Trading Company, which Choson Sinbo described as "a well-known domestic enterprise that produces smartphones, digital televisions and all-in-one computers."

Ri Song-i, a staff member at Pureun Haneul Trading Company, said in an interview that the company is "putting great effort into developing AI-based products" and pledged to "definitely unveil a new product at the next exhibition."

This is not the first time a foldable phone has appeared in North Korean media.

In July 2023, a flip-style foldable phone was spotted on a table near Kim Jong-un as he observed a test launch of the Hwaseong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile.

Kim Yo-jong, the ruling party's vice department director and Kim Jong-un's sister, has also been seen using what appeared to be a foldable phone from Chinese smartphone maker Honor's Magic series.

North Korea has promoted its own technological capabilities, claiming it operates factories capable of producing hundreds of thousands of mobile phones a year, but questions persist over whether it can truly develop and manufacture such devices independently.

According to a report titled "North Korea's Smartphones in 2024," published by Martin Williams, a researcher at the US think tank the Stimson Center, a significant number of smartphones sold in North Korea are supplied by Chinese manufacturers through original equipment manufacturing arrangements.


youknow@heraldcorp.com