I don’t usually rewrite material from elsewhere (sometimes called churnalism) but since these people (Global Post, North Korea Newsletter No. 275, Aug. 15, 2013) seem very concerned about any kind of copying whatsoever and I’m determined to mention North Korea’s nanotechnology efforts on this blog for the first time., here goes.

Apparently North Korea has established a nano center as of April 2013 which was officially announced on Aug. 1, 2013 by Rodong Sinmun newspaper of the Workers’ Party of (North) Korea (WPK). They claim advances in energy, environmental conservation, medicine, farming, and light industry.

Yonhap News has an Aug. 2, 2013 news item which provides some detail,

The newspaper [WPK] monitored in Seoul said the nanotech center, built under the guidance of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, has played a key part in developing the sector. It added that roughly 1,000 nano products and prototypes were on display at the 10th nano science exhibition that opened on Tuesday [July 30, 2013].

North Korean media started mentioning the nanotech center in April, although no detail was made public on when it was established.

It said the country’s technicians from universities and laboratories have been able to develop agricultural sterilizers, growth accelerators, air cleaners and shoes.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Aug. 7, 2013 claimed that due to previous efforts there are now hundreds of  nanotechnology researchers and specialists.