The Korea Computer Center (KCC), one of North Korea's leading software development centers, has worked on the development of Red Star OS since the early 2000s. Of course, Red Star 3.0 is not 100% free from foreign elements. It is a Linux-based operating system, specifically tailored to North Korea’s usage environment.
In July 2012, Chinese media outlets reported that North Korea had started to distribute its homegrown tablet computer The Achim (Morning). The Chinese IT industry analyzed that the Achim was powered by a Linux-based operating system. The Achim was known to measure 7 inches, weigh 300 grams and last up to 5 hours on a single charge.
North Korea has also been distributing the Samjiyon tablet computer, which features an encyclopedia, maps, games, etc. However, rapid progress in North Korea’s science and technology is not enjoyed by all. North Korean residents suffering from severe energy shortages eke out a living by developing their “own technologies.”
Red Star Linux 3.0 is an operating system adapted for the communist state. Red Star 3.0 also comes with a bundle of apps. It is optimized for low-spec personal computers and comes in the form of two CDs. Just like Microsoft Windows, it supports GUIs (Graphic User Interface) and is overall similar to Windows.
In a utility installation file, there are programs, such as office programs and anti-virus programs. Among them is an office suite called Woori 3.0. There are not so many basic programs. Red Star 3.0 includes web browser “Naenara” (or My Country, which resembles Mozilla’s Firefox browser), a simple text editor, a paint program, a pdf file viewer, audio/video players, a recorder, an archiver, a virtual disc program, a calculator, a file search, etc. Except Naenara, other programs are not given specific names.
Its keyboard is based on North Korea’s homegrown keyboard system “Hana,” which supports English, Russian, Chinese and Japanese and is different from the standard keyboard layout of Windows. There are three games: Ball Color Match (a color matching game), Minesweeper and Atom Match.
In the face of numerous economic sanctions, such as a ban on western countries’ export of their cutting-edge technologies to North Korea, the North has independently upgraded its technological prowess in science and technology. For instance, it has developed and launched intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM). However, little has been know about North Korea’s software technology. The state-run KCC had embarked on the development of Red Star OS in the early 2000s. Now, Red Star Version 3.0 is available.
Red Star 3.0 doesn’t takes on any political hue. When the system starts, Korean folk song Arirang is played. But it uses a different year numbering system: the Juche calendar. Red Star 3.0 is unlikely to catch on in the nation due to lack of apps. Advances in N. Korea’s development of Linux, however, can lead to the expansion of inter-Korean cooperation in science and technology.
