SEOUL - A picture of North Korea's Kim Jong Un with a smartphone has triggered fevered speculation about which brand is favoured by the leader of one of the world's most repressive nations.

The photo released by the North's state media showed Mr Kim presiding over a meeting with top national-security advisers last week. It also showed a black smartphone next to him.

The South Korean media gave the picture prominent coverage, opening a debate on the phone's manufacturer.

Samsung, the world's top smartphone maker, was adamant that one of its flagship Galaxy models had not turned up across the border.

"It's not a Samsung phone," a company spokesman said, adding that it looked more like an HTC model.

The South's intelligence agency also concluded that the Taiwanese firm was the likely manufacturer.



Get My Paper for more stories.