North Korea has intensified its crackdown on Chinese mobile phones as part of efforts to tighten internal controls by limiting communication with the outside world, Daily NK has learned.
A source in North Hamgyong province told Daily NK on Jan. 3 that authorities recently caught a Musan resident attempting to make a call to China. “The state security department’s radar bureau detected and arrested them within one minute of placing the call. They remain in state security detention,” the source said.
Along the border, Ministry of State Security radar units use specialized equipment to track specific frequencies and signals, enabling real-time detection of calls to China. When agents detect Chinese telecommunications frequencies in residential areas, they immediately raid the suspected location.
The source revealed that radar bureau personnel now patrol residential areas for over ten hours daily searching for Chinese phone signals, significantly increasing the risk of detection for users. Working in pairs, these teams have extended their monitoring from their previous five to six-hour night shifts to operating from 5 a.m. until midnight.
The surveillance has also become more concentrated. While teams previously monitored five or six inminban (neighborhood watch units), they now focus on just two, allowing for more thorough coverage.
This intensified monitoring has led to swift arrests. On Dec. 18, authorities caught a remittance broker in their 40s within a minute of activating their phone to receive money from China. Two days later, state security agents detained a Hoeryong resident in their 50s for using a Chinese mobile phone.
“The crackdown on Chinese phones has been ongoing since COVID-19, but it’s reached unprecedented levels,” the source explained. “People are now being arrested simply for turning their Chinese phones on.”
The regime views Chinese phone users as potential channels for information flowing both in and out of the country. However, the source believes that despite the authorities’ efforts, they won’t succeed in completely eliminating Chinese phone usage.
“It’s impossible to fully stop people from using Chinese phones,” the source said. “People know it’s illegal, but they’re willing to risk their lives to make a living. No matter how severe the crackdown becomes, they’ll continue using their Chinese phones.”