In the border city of Hyesan, Yangkang Province, North Korea has recently completed an overhaul to the area code system, implementing an amended method that began late last year. 

“Before this, we only had two area codes for home phones in Hyesan, but now they changed the numbers according to neighborhoods,” a source in Yangkang Province told the Daily NK on Friday. 

Previously, Hyesan City phone numbers began with 34 or 35 depending on the order of registration. However, the recent change has rendered these obsolete; for example, in the case of Songhu-dong area, the area code now begins with 53, according to the source. “Since each neighborhood has a unique set of digits, just by looking at the phone number you can tell which area it is from,” he explained. 

While the swap-out could stem from technical needs such as aging cables or an increase in telephone users, the source speculated the latter to be especially unlikely: given the growing number of mobile phone users, home phones would not have seen such a spike in demand.

Most suspect more nefarious factors to be at play, namely that security officials are attempting to tap home phones in addition to stringent surveillance on mobile phones. According to the source, this move aims to increase observation in border areas of potential escapees from the country and those involved in the flow of remittances in and out.

“Since the new numbers are assigned by neighborhood, if someone is exposed during a wire tap, it would be easy  for the State Security Department [SSD] to figure out where it’s from,” he explained. “Officials from the SSD and the MPS [Ministry of People’s Security] have a watch list for each area, so it would give them a leg-up in catching people through wire taps.” 

Others surmise that the new system was implemented because those apprehended in connection with remittances confessed to using home phones to broker some parts of the overall operation. Some assert that the measure came after the authorities became cognizant of the fact that, when possible, people use their home phones because they suspect local mobile phones can be tapped along with Chinese-manufactured mobile devices.

The rumored theories, in conjunction with tightened regulations to stamp out outside phone calls and the recent crackdown on foreign currency, has many on even higher alert. “Now everyone says that the SSD has eyes and ears in everyone’s homes,” he said. “I haven’t heard of anyone getting into trouble because of the change in areas codes yet, but a lot of people are worried."

Still, he added that some residents have a rather nonchalant attitude toward the most recent measure. "We’re all so well trained when it comes to surveillance and crackdowns that this phone number change isn’t going to scare anyone,” they've said, adding that one method of apprehending people will only serve to push them to find 10 more ways of evading the system.