Notel

A Notel, also called Notetel, is a type of portable media player made in China which is popular in North Korea.[1][2] The device has USB and SD ports, can play DVDs and EVDs[3][4] (enhanced versatile discs, which are physically identical to DVDs but use a different file format), and contains a radio and TV tuner.[2] The name is a portmanteau of "notebook" and "television".[5]

Notetels have been popular in North Korea since around 2005, significantly facilitating the extension of the "Korean Wave" (Hallyu, the increase of the popularity of South Korean pop culture internationally) into the communist country.[3][4] After an earlier crackdown that caused their black market prices to drop,[6] the devices were legalized in December 2014.[7] As of 2015, they are available in some government stores (possession must be registered) as well as selling on the black market for around 300 Chinese yuan (ca. US$50), and are present in up to one in two urban households, according to some estimations.[1][2] In China, Notels are no longer popular as of 2015, but sell well in the provinces that border on North Korea.[1][2]

According to a defector, the Notels' multi-format support is used for evading detection of illegal media consumption: A North Korean DVD is placed in the device while a South Korean video is played from an USB stick, which can be quickly removed in case government inspectors arrive and check the device's temperature to see if it has been recently used, leaving the DVD as an alternative explanation.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Portable media players give North Koreans an illicit window on the world". the Guardian. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Pearson, James (March 27, 2015). "The $50 device that symbolizes a shift in North Korea". Reuters.
  3. 1 2 "Cheap Chinese EVD player spreads S. Korean culture in N. Korea". Yonhap. October 22, 2013.
  4. 1 2 "Diffusion de la vague coréenne "hallyu" au Nord par TV portable". Yonhap (in French). October 22, 2013.
  5. ↑ Gallagher, Sean (March 27, 2015). "A $50 device is breaking North Korean government’s grip on media". Ars Technica.
  6. ↑ Lipes, Joshua (2014-02-28). "North Koreans Tuning Into Miniature Radios Following DVD Crackdown". RFA.
  7. ↑ Greenberg, Andy (March 15, 2015). "The Plot to Free North Korea With Smuggled Episodes of 'Friends'". Wired.
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