North Korean students in some regions are increasingly turning to smartphone apps to study English and Chinese in 2026. The trend is widening an education gap that already favors children from wealthy families.
Middle and high school students in well-off households are pairing private tutors with language apps on their smartphones. That combination is widening the divide with classmates whose families cannot afford either option, a source inside the country said.
A source in North Hwanghae province told Daily NK on Friday that wealthy parents in Sariwon are hiring private tutors who teach English and Chinese separately. Students often go further, using language apps on their smartphones to master pronunciation and vocabulary.
According to the source, a North Korean smartphone application called Bitsaem 3.0 includes a foreign language learning function. It is a domestically produced study aid distributed inside North Korea. Students buy it through another app called Naui Gildongmu, or “My Companion,” which works as an app marketplace for North Korean smartphone users. They use the program to study pronunciation and word meanings in English and Chinese. Built-in drills and quizzes let them check their own progress.
“Students are learning from private tutors and also studying on their phones whenever they have a spare moment, so their overall level has improved a lot,” the source said. Many students now aim to reach a level where they can hold conversations with foreigners, the source added.
Education costs put language lessons out of reach for poorer families
The source said children begin learning simple English and basic pronunciation in elementary school. The material grows harder in higher grades, though, and there is a saying that captures the frustration.
“There’s a saying that you go into English smiling and come out of it crying,” the source said. Parents try to arrange private tutors from a young age so their children do not fall behind, the source explained.
Foreign language tutoring for middle and high school students in Sariwon costs about $30 a month on average, the source said, with fees running higher for tutors known for strong results.
That amount is enough to buy about 45 kilograms of rice at recent North Korean market prices, according to the source. For families living hand to mouth, spending that much every month on tutoring is out of reach.
Smartphones capable of running the learning apps smoothly cost more than $500, the source said. Students from poorer households are effectively shut out of both private tutoring and app-based study, the source explained.
“In the past, whether a student had a private tutor was the main factor separating students,” the source said. “Now that smartphones have become a new learning tool, the gap tied to parents’ financial means has become even more pronounced.”
The gap widens further as students prepare for university admission, the source said. Students come to understand the importance of money through their own family circumstances, well before they enter the workforce.
Not every family with limited means gives up on foreign language education, the source said. Some households cut other living expenses to cover tutoring costs.
One example the source gave: families that once ate white rice switch to a mix of half rice and half other grains to save money for their children’s lessons.
Parents see education as an investment that can change their children’s future, the source said. Many believe a degree from a prestigious university and a good job offer the best chance at a stable life.
“Parents generally believe that power matters more than money in the end,” the source said. They think that getting a child into a good university spares the child the struggles they faced, so parents cut back on food, the source added, if that is what it takes to pay for lessons.
Reporting from inside North Korea
Daily NK operates networks of sources inside North Korea who document events in real-time and transmit information through secure channels. Unlike reporting based on state media, satellite imagery, or defector accounts from years past, our journalism comes directly from people currently living under the regime. We verify reports through multiple independent sources and cross-reference details before publication.
Our sources remain anonymous because contact with foreign media is treated as a capital offense in North Korea — discovery means imprisonment or execution. This network-based approach allows Daily NK to report on developments other outlets cannot access: market trends, policy implementation, public sentiment, and daily realities that never appear in official narratives.
Maintaining these secure communication channels and protecting source identities requires specialized protocols and constant vigilance. Daily NK serves as a bridge between North Koreans and the outside world, documenting what’s happening inside one of the world’s most closed societies.
September 14, 2026 at 11:16PM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)