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North Korea’s secrets revealed by phone: Study: BBC Learning English from the News

BBC Learning English • 2025-06-04T13:06:46Z • 7:44 • intermediate • News

Lead

Discover the chilling secrets of North Korea through a smartphone smuggled out of the country! This article dives into how technology reflects the strict control of the regime.

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Quiz

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Q1. What does the North Korean smartphone do every five minutes?

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Q2. What does the term 'chilling' mean in the context of the smartphone's details?

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Q3. What does the autocorrect feature on the North Korean phone change 'South Korea' to?

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Q4. What does the phrase 'party line' refer to?

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Q5. How is the smartphone described in the headline from Futurism?

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Vocabulary

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smuggled

/ˈsmʌɡəld/

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Definition

to move (goods) illegally and secretly into or out of a country.

Example

The artifacts were smuggled out of the country to avoid detection by authorities.

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chilling

/ˈtʃɪlɪŋ/

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Definition

causing a feeling of fear or unease; frightening.

Example

The chilling story kept me awake all night, haunted by its dark imagery.

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autocorrect

/ˌɔːtəʊkəˈrɛkt/

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Definition

a software feature that automatically corrects spelling or grammatical errors as you type.

Example

I often find that autocorrect changes my words to something completely different.

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regime

/reɪˈʒiːm/

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Definition

a government, especially an authoritarian one.

Example

The regime imposed strict laws that limited personal freedoms.

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party line

/ˈpɑːrti laɪn/

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Definition

the official policy or stance of a political party or organization.

Example

The politician stuck to the party line during the debate, avoiding any controversial topics.

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wild

/waɪld/

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Definition

strange or unexpected; uncontrolled.

Example

The wild ideas proposed during the meeting left everyone both amused and confused.

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