A $50 portable media player is . providing many North Koreans a window to the outside world . despite the government's efforts to keep its people isolated - a . symbol of change in one of the world's most repressed societies. By some estimates, up to half of all urban North Korean . households have an easily concealed 'notel', a small portable . media player used to watch DVDs or content stored on USB sticks . that can be easily smuggled into the country and passed hand to . hand. People are exchanging South Korean soaps, pop music, . Hollywood films and news programmes, all of which are expressly . prohibited by the Pyongyang regime, according to North Korean . defectors, activists and recent visitors to the isolated . country. Notel or 'notetel' - the name is a uniquely North Korean - a word combining 'notebook' and 'television' - are easily found onthe black market for around 300 Chinese yuan ($48) 'The North Korean government takes their national ideology . extremely seriously, so the spread of all this media that . competes with their propaganda is a big and growing problem for . them,' said Sokeel Park of Liberty in North Korea (LiNK), an . organisation that works with defectors. 'If Pyongyang fails to successfully adapt to these trends, . they could threaten the long-term survival of the regime . itself.' North Koreans have been spending money more openly, a sign . that some forms of entrepreneurship are increasingly tolerated . and that the state is easing some of its harsh controls over the . economy. In recent months, consumption has become more . conspicuous. 'The variety and number of places for locals to spend money . has really increased,' said one regular visitor to Pyongyang, . declining to be identified. 'People seem a lot more confident . flashing the cash than they used to be. I've seen people spend . $500 on a phone with no hesitation, for example.' There is no sign, however, that the regime in . nuclear-capable North Korea is loosening its grip, looking to . make substantial reforms or making any change in its . unpredictable ways of dealing with the outside world. But along with rising incomes, more goods are available in . the impoverished country, mostly on the black market but also in . some state-controlled stores. Notel or 'notetel' - the name is a uniquely North Korean . word combining 'notebook' and 'television' - are easily found on . the black market for around 300 Chinese yuan ($48), and are . also available in some state shops and markets. The device was legalised last year, according to . defector-run news outlets in Seoul - one of many recent measures . taken by the state to accommodate grassroots change. The new rules, however, also require North Koreans to . register their notel, enabling authorities to monitor who is . most likely to be watching banned foreign media. Notel or 'notetel' - the name is a uniquely North Korean . word combining 'notebook' and 'television' - are easily found on . the black market for around 300 Chinese yuan ($48), and are . also available in some state shops and markets. The device was legalised last year, according to . defector-run news outlets in Seoul - one of many recent measures . taken by the state to accommodate grassroots change. The new rules, however, also require North Koreans to . register their notel, enabling authorities to monitor who is . most likely to be watching banned foreign media. North Koreans do not have access to the internet - those who . can go online are limited to a state-run intranet, while the . country's 2.5 million mobile phone subscribers are not allowed . to call outside the country. The notel comes from China, either smuggled or legally . imported. Lee Seok-young, a defector from the North, said he smuggled . 18,000 Chinese-made notel into the country last year. He said he . ordered them directly from a factory in Guangzhou that was . likely still in production solely to satisfy the demands of the . North Korean market. The devices have lost their popularity in China over the . years, but still sell well in the provinces bordering North . Korea, according to data on the China-based online shopping . website Taobao. When asked to quote a wholesale price for notel, one Chinese . trader in the border city of Yanji said: 'You want to send them . to North Korea? How many do you want to send? They sell well . there.' Lee Seok-young, a defector from the North, said he smuggled18,000 Chinese-made notel into the country last year. The low-voltage notel differs from the portable DVD players . of the late 1990s in that they have USB and SD card ports, and a . built-in TV and radio tuner. They can also be charged with a car . battery - an essential piece of household equipment in . electricity-scarce North Korea. Legally-registered notel must be fixed to official state . television and radio channels, according to the Daily NK, a . Seoul-based news organisation run by defectors. Lee, the defector, said the device's multi-function nature . makes it easier for users to get away with watching illegal . material. 'To avoid getting caught, people load a North Korean DVD . while watching South Korean dramas on a USB stick, which can be . pulled out,' he said. 'They then tell the authorities, who feel . the heat from the notel to check whether or not it has been . recently used, that they were watching North Korean films'. Park at the LiNK organisation added: 'They are small enough . to roll up in a blanket and hide in a wardrobe. They have become . so popular because they are perfect for overcoming the twin . barriers to foreign media consumption: surveillance and power . outages. 'If you were to design the perfect device for North Koreans, . it would be this.'
Portable media player used to watch DVDs or content stored on USB sticks . South Korean soaps, music, films and news programmes popular . Half of all urban North Korean households have an easily concealed . Chinese made brands on offer include 'Sansung'