Technology & Infrastructure

Overview

Technology and infrastructure in North Korea present a dual picture: there are pockets of relatively modern development (especially in showcase areas like parts of Pyongyang or strategic sectors such as missiles and IT for military purposes), but overall, the country's infrastructure is outdated and under-resourced.

Internet and Telecommunications

North Korea's populace has virtually no access to the global Internet. The country maintains a domestic intranet called "Kwangmyong", which is a nationwide closed network with curated websites – like online libraries, state media, and educational resources – all government-approved. Only a very small elite (top officials, some researchers, and cyber warfare units) have access to the real Internet, and that too is likely closely monitored.

The country's IT infrastructure has improved in terms of hardware in the last decade – for instance, mobile phones were introduced in 2008 via a joint venture (Koryolink) with an Egyptian telecom company. Now there are reportedly over 6 million mobile subscriptions in North Korea, meaning roughly 1 in 4 people has a cell phone (mostly basic feature phones or government-approved Android smartphones). However, these phones operate on a domestic network only – they cannot call outside North Korea and cannot access the World Wide Web, only the intranet.

The mobile network (3G) covers major cities and is used for calling, text, and accessing state media apps. Foreigners visiting get a separate network/SIM that can call internationally but that is barred to locals. The regime sees telecommunications as a potential vulnerability, so it heavily censors and surveils electronic communication. All legal phones are registered; unauthorized possession of a foreign phone (e.g., some near borders secretly use Chinese SIMs to catch a signal – an illegal act) can lead to severe punishment.

Transportation Infrastructure

Roads

Only a fraction of roads are paved. North Korea lacks a nationwide highway system in the way South Korea has. There are a few expressways: Pyongyang to Kaesong (near DMZ), Pyongyang to Nampo (west coast port), Pyongyang to Wonsan (east coast). These are often in poor condition, with potholes and little traffic (since private cars are rare and fuel is scarce).

In cities, major boulevards are wide (built for parades) but one will see very few vehicles – mostly government and military trucks, some taxis, and buses/trolleys. Many people walk or use bicycles. Automobile ownership is limited to high-ranking officials and some organizations. The general public relies on public transport or company/collective transport (trucks) if traveling.

Railways

The railway network is extensive in coverage (from the DMZ up to the northern border and branching to most provinces). It uses mostly standard gauge tracks (some electrified) but the system is antiquated and slow. Trains often run late by hours or days. Steam locomotives were largely replaced by diesel/electric, but due to power shortages, even electric trains have to sometimes be pulled by diesel engines.

Nonetheless, rail is the backbone of freight transport and the main option for long-distance travel for ordinary people (when they can get permits to travel). A trip from Pyongyang to the far northeast could take 24-30 hours by train for a distance a modern train would do in a few hours. There is an international rail link: Pyongyang–Beijing via Dandong, used by some travelers and trade shipments.

Public Transport

In Pyongyang, there is a decent public transit system:

• The Pyongyang Metro: which has two lines and 17 stations, is notable for its marble-lined deep stations (some doubling as bomb shelters) and socialist-realist mosaics. It's one of the deepest metros in the world (to survive bombings). Only Pyongyang has a metro, opened in the 1970s.
• Trolleybuses and trams: There are trolleybuses and trams in Pyongyang and a couple other cities (e.g. trolleybuses in Chongjin). These often run with aging vehicles, but they provide cheap transport (when there's electricity).
• Buses: Buses exist for intra and inter-city travel, though fuel constraints limit schedules.

Airports

North Korea's main international airport is Pyongyang Sunan International Airport, which got a shiny new terminal in 2015. Air traffic is minimal: Air Koryo usually had scheduled flights to Beijing, Shenyang, Vladivostok, and a few seasonal routes (like to Bangkok or Kuwait City for workers). During sanctions/COVID, even those stopped.

Domestically, there are several airfields but civilians rarely fly – air travel is mostly for VIPs or military. The country claims 82 airports but many are military or small. There is a small fleet of domestic aircraft for official travel or tourism charters (e.g., flights to Mt. Paektu region).

Ports

The major ports are Nampo (west coast), Rajin/Sonbong (northeast, warmer waters accessible year-round), Chongjin, Wonsan, Haeju, Hungnam. These handle limited cargo due to sanctions. North Korea's merchant marine includes some cargo ships, but many have to reflag to evade sanctions and are involved in clandestine trade (e.g. coal and oil smuggling ship-to-ship transfers observed by the UN).

Energy Infrastructure

Electricity

North Korea's power grid is under-supplied and old. With ~8.4 GW generation capacity, mostly from hydroelectric dams and a few coal plants, they struggle to meet demand. Hydropower (84% of capacity) is great when water levels are sufficient but in winter the rivers freeze and power output falls, leading to widespread blackouts.

The electrical distribution is unreliable; "rolling blackouts" are a daily reality outside of priority areas (like central Pyongyang and certain industrial/military zones). Only 52.6% of the population has access to electricity at all – meaning nearly half live without any grid connection. Even those who are connected experience frequent outages. Rural households often use wood, charcoal, or solar panels (Chinese-made small solar panels have become popular for charging batteries or lighting one bulb).

Fuel

North Korea has no significant oil reserves (0 bbl production). It imports limited crude and oil products, mainly from China (capped by UN sanctions at 500,000 barrels of refined products per year). Gasoline and diesel are rationed and very expensive on the black market. Many vehicles have been converted to run on wood gasifiers (especially trucks in rural areas) – literally burning wood or charcoal to create gas for engines, a World-War-II era technology that you can still see in North Korea due to fuel scarcity.

Coal and Renewables

Coal is abundant in North Korea and is used for power and heating. Small coal-fired power stations and industrial boilers provide heat in cities (Pyongyang has a central heating system in some apartments, but others rely on individual coal briquettes). Coal mining is a major industry, but safety is poor.

Outside of hydro, other renewables are negligible, except that many homes now use small solar panels – one can see solar panels on rural huts and Pyongyang balconies, used to charge phones or provide a bit of lighting. It's a grassroots adaptation to grid problems.

Nuclear Energy

North Korea had a Soviet-built research reactor and was building an electric nuclear plant at Yongbyon, but that became part of the nuclear weapons program instead. There's no civilian nuclear power generating electricity currently (their experimental light-water reactor is under construction but not operational for the grid).

Water and Sanitation

Infrastructure for clean water is spotty. In Pyongyang, many have piped water (though often not 24/7). In rural areas, people rely on wells or rivers. The UN has noted issues with waterborne diseases due to inadequate water treatment. Sewer systems exist in major cities, but treatment plants might not be fully functional. Rural sanitation can be basic (outhouses), leading to issues like groundwater contamination.

Urban Infrastructure

Pyongyang has seen some facelift in recent years: new skyscrapers on Ryomyong Street and Mirae Scientists Street, new theatres, and parks. However, these high-rises – some have questioned if they are fully occupied or if utilities (elevators, heating) run consistently. Outside Pyongyang, other cities look much more dated – Soviet-style apartment blocks, some decades-old factories (many defunct or under-utilized).

In the 2010s, Kim Jong-un pushed construction of 50,000 new apartments in Pyongyang, including high-rise flats for professors and researchers (e.g. near Kim Chaek University of Tech) as a propaganda success. He's also built vanity projects like the Ryugyong Hotel – the 105-story pyramid hotel, construction started in the 1980s, which was never finished. The Ryugyong exterior was completed but it remains unopened, a symbol of over-ambition. Meanwhile, many existing apartments are in disrepair due to lack of maintenance – collapses have happened.

Telecommunications and Broadcasting

Landline telephones exist but are mostly for official use; ordinary citizens rely on the mobile network (with all its restrictions). Broadcasting infrastructure: There are radio and TV broadcasting centers (the famous Radio Pyongyang, Korean Central Television KCTV).

Industry and Technology

Military Technology

Military tech: ballistic missile development, nuclear tech – highly advanced relative to their economy. They also have satellites (North Korea launched a satellite into orbit in 2012 and 2016, though whether they transmit meaningful data is unclear; these were tied to the space program which overlaps with missile tech).

Cyber Capabilities

North Korea has surprisingly adept hacking units given limited internet. They've been implicated in sophisticated cyberattacks and crypto thefts, suggesting they have strong technical training in that domain.

Computer Science Education

There are specialized schools like the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST) – a unique institution partly funded by foreign (Evangelical Christian) donors, with foreign faculty, teaching select students in IT and business in English. Also, Kim Chaek University of Technology and Mirim University churn out IT grads. Many are employed by the state to work on software outsourcing or cyber ops to bring revenue.

Consumer Technology

The average North Korean consumer doesn't have much – but there is a domestic tablet computer ("Samjiyon" tablet), some local smartphone models (likely made with Chinese components). They have an e-commerce site on the intranet for elite Pyongyang residents to order products (recently reported).

Automobiles

They have an outdated vehicle industry (e.g. Sungri Motor Plant) that makes trucks and a few car models (often copies of 1960s Soviet cars). Most vehicles are imported used from China or manufactured under partnership (like Pyonghwa Motors, a joint venture that assembled a few hundred cars a year from knock-down kits).

Infrastructure Challenges

A recurring theme is that due to shortages and sanctions, maintenance of infrastructure is poor. Power plants lack spare parts, roads decay, factories run below capacity for lack of inputs, and accidents like building collapses or catastrophic floods hitting deforested land are results of weak infrastructure.

There is a significant urban vs rural gap: In Pyongyang, one sees some neon lights, taxis (they introduced a fleet of taxis in the 2010s), some new LED displays for propaganda. In rural areas, at night, it can be completely dark. Farmers still use ox-drawn carts in fields often, and planting/harvesting is labor-intensive with minimal mechanization (lack of fuel and modern equipment). Many rural roads are dirt, making some areas inaccessible in rains.

Comparison to South Korea

The contrast is striking – South Korea has among the world's best infrastructure and tech, whereas North Korea lags by decades in most areas. North Korean media never shows their dimly lit cities in the same frame as the glowing South, but satellite images of Korea at night (with South Korea brightly lit and North Korea mostly dark aside from Pyongyang) are a potent illustration of the gap.

Summary

North Korea's infrastructure is a patchwork – some modern elements layered on a generally backward foundation. The regime has demonstrated capability in selective advanced technologies (rockets, computing) largely for strategic purposes, but everyday infrastructure – power, transport, communications for citizens – remains extremely underdeveloped due to economic limitations and political choices. Improving infrastructure would require massive investment and openness, which the regime does not currently have access to. Instead, it prioritizes show projects and military tech, meaning the average person's access to consistent electricity, clean water, or broadband internet is still out of reach in North Korea.