As North Korean leader Kim Jong Un guided the launch of his country’s newest and most powerful ballistic missile this week, there was a shiny gadget on his desk: a foldable smartphone.

Pictures published by the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper showed what appears to be a silver flip phone in a black leather case, strikingly similar to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip devices or China’s Huawei Pocket S phones.

The photo from Wednesday’s launch of the Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) instantly sparked speculation about where the phone was from.

„If the subject of the photo is a flip phone, it is very likely that it was smuggled into North Korea via China,“ South Korea’s Joongang Ilbo newspaper reported.

Under UN sanctions, North Korea is prohibited from importing or exporting electronic devices.

Kim’s love of gadgets has been the subject of curiosity in the past. He has been photographed using Apple products including iPads and Macbooks.

According to the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Directory, only about 19% of North Korea’s population has access to mobile phones.

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