I doubt the government purchased anything. It's ridiculously easy to download a pirated version of Windows, or just jump across the border to China and buy a CD for 50 cents.
Ha! When I did a visa run to Burma last week they were all running Windows Vista- if it weren't for the pissed off looking guy with a sub-machine gun leaning against the wall I would've taken a picture :)
Yeah, I'm embarrassed to say that I replied before I really thought this one through. Of course they wouldn't let computers that deal with passports/customs access the web, NK or otherwise.
How did the NK government manage to get a (legitimate?) copy of Windows past embargos, and how did the photographer manage to sneak in a camera?
I'm guessing the government purchased from a distributor without NK trade sanctions.