Employees at North Korean IT company Blue Sky are seen participating in a meeting while sitting in front of desktop computers bearing a resemblance to Apple’s iMac, manufactured by the firm, in Kumsugangsan's September issue. (Kumsugangsan)
Employees at North Korean IT company Blue Sky are seen participating in a meeting while sitting in front of desktop computers bearing a resemblance to Apple’s iMac, manufactured by the firm, in Kumsugangsan's September issue. (Kumsugangsan)

North Korea’s admiration of Apple products was once again on display this month when its state media published photos of a locally made computer that appeared to mimic the US tech giant’s iMac desktop.

In its September issue, the country’s monthly propaganda magazine Kumsugangsan carried an article lauding North Korean IT company Blue Sky. It said, "Electronic and IT products manufactured by Blue Sky are gaining domestic popularity,” and published several accompanying photos.

An accompanying image showed the North Korean IT company’s employees using computers that bore a resemblance to Apple’s iMac, with its distinctive all-in-one design and silver-white aluminum-like finish. The similarities are striking, though Apple’s logo has been replaced by a Blue Sky emblem.

From the images, Blue Sky appears to manufacture smartphones, TVs, laptops and desktop computers.

IT products manufactured by North Korea but resembling Apple products have surfaced on the country’s state media on several occasions. The country’s homegrown operating system, Red Star 3.0, displayed its basic applications in a single row at the bottom of the screen, closely mirroring the macOS dock.

In 2017, the North’s Myohyang IT Company drew attention by releasing a tablet under the name “iPad.” Two years later, Pyongyang’s state media, Rodong Sinmun, published photos of staff at Ryugyong Dental Hospital being trained on a desktop computer that appeared to be an iMac.

There have even been signs that authentic Apple devices have made their way into the North. In 2013, a Rodong Sinmun image of a military operations meeting presided over by Kim Jong-un showed him sitting in front of what appeared to be a genuine iMac, with Apple’s logo clearly visible on the back of the monitor.


mkjung@heraldcorp.com