North Korea’s Ministry of State Security has ordered the compilation of transcripts of recorded public telephone conversations to gauge public sentiment. The directive, which covers calls from July to September, is aimed at determining everyday trends among citizens as part of the regime’s surveillance efforts.
According to a source in North Hamgyong province, the provincial branch of the Ministry of State Security recently decided to monitor public telephone conversations to gauge public opinion and ideological trends. The decision comes amid this year’s severe economic hardships caused by floods with a view to analyze whether people are using public telephones to criticize the state or leak internal information.
Just a few years ago, it was common for authorities to monitor public trends through public phone conversations. However, as cell phone use in the country has steadily increased, authorities have focused their surveillance on individual cell phones, and people have recently begun using public phones to have important conversations without the state listening in.
In response, North Korea’s state security agencies have established surveillance systems in the public phone management teams of local communications offices and actively use transcripts of recorded public phone conversations to monitor public trends.
“Public telephone management teams, called ‘number zero’ on the organizational chart, consist of a team leader and two staff members,” the source said. “They work for the communications bureau, but they also perform surveillance duties as informants for the local branch of the Ministry of State Security and elementary party committees.
“With these teams playing the role of a surveillance tool, people can’t avoid the state’s monitoring of even everyday phone calls. People can’t help but get caught up in the regime’s tight surveillance system.”
According to the source, most people believe that public phones are much safer than cell phones. To use a public phone, one must present an ID card and then use a designated box to make the call, but many people remain unaware that all such phones are bugged.
“Last year alone, there were about six cases in the border area of North Hamgyong province where people were reported as spies or impure elements after using a public phone,” the source said. “Most of them were brokers who used Chinese-made cell phones and were caught using public phones to make secret calls to others local people.”
The source said that some people aware of this situation complain that the means of surveillance and control are constantly evolving while people’s lives never do, and they are now afraid to use public or mobile phones.
The Daily NK works with a network of sources in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. For security reasons, their identities remain anonymous.
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