Up to 10 million North Koreans had smartphones as of 2018 and online services such as shopping have been growing, a pro-Pyongyang group of Korean residents in Japan reported in its newsletter on Friday.
A number of smartphone apps are available including some for cooking and checking the weather, according to Choson Sinbo published by the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, known as Chongryon.
As of 2022, North Korea's population was estimated by the United Nations to be around 26 million.
According to the newsletter, a popular North Korean e-commerce site, Manmulsang, has about 400 registered stores with around 60,000 products available for purchase.
The country has two mobile services, one serving major cities such as the capital Pyongyang and the other for regional areas, the newsletter said.
None of the networks available to North Korean citizens are capable of connecting to the outside world.
