Chinese wearable devices hit DPRK market

Mi band 2, a wearable device designed by Chinese phone maker Xiaomi Inc., has become popular at a trade fair in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

The smart wrist band, sold at 35 U.S. dollars, immediately became a best-selling product at the 12th Pyongyang Autumn International Trade Exhibition.

"We have confidence in the release of the smart bands in the DPRK market, but we haven't expected them to be such best-sellers," Gong Yunhong, a salesperson in charge of the booth, told Xinhua.

The Mi band 2 is currently out of stock at the trade fair as they only brought around 200 units, Gong said.

"The people of the DPRK are pursuing high-quality life as much as anywhere else in the world, and that is why we come up with the idea of introducing some of the domestically popular smart hardware and electronics into the DPRK," she said.

However, DPRK consumers are currently unable to connect the electronic device to their mobile phones, meaning that some functions are unavailable.

Gong said that the DPRK side has been working on developing its own application suitable for domestic use and that those functions temporarily unusable can work normally by the time the new app is launched.

Now DPRK consumers can use the band to read time, record walking distances and steps and measure instant heart rates.

Consumers visiting the exhibit have also showed interest in other popular Xiaomi products, including air purifiers and digital weight scales. Endi