North Korean state security agents in border regions are raiding the homes of people with records of having used Chinese-made mobile phones in the past. As fear spreads that the secret police could come knocking at any time, some people are too scared to sleep through the night.
A source in North Hamgyong province told Daily NK recently that some homes have recently been searched by state security agents in border areas such as Hoeryong and Onsong and Musan counties. In most cases, family members are on record as having used Chinese phones before.
These searches are taking place at all times of day and night. In several cases, agents have barged into homes in the early hours when everybody was asleep, the source added.
Around midnight on Oct. 31, four state security agents raided a home in Hoeryong. The late-night appearance of the secret police, rather than the regular police, left family members terrified.
According to the source, one member of the family, identified as “A,” had a record of using a Chinese phone to smuggle items from China. “A” had also been arrested by state security agents and detained for 10 months for working as a remittance broker.
Searching for past violations
It was only after concluding their unannounced search that the state security agents explained they had been sent to check for hidden Chinese mobile phones. Even after learning the reason for the search, the family was too stunned to utter a word of protest.
The family had their home searched even though “A” hasn’t used any Chinese phones since being jailed for that in 2023. The community has been paralyzed with fear over rumors that the secret police are raiding people’s homes for past Chinese phone usage, the source said.
Incidents of this sort are happening not only in North Hamgyong province but also elsewhere along the border, including North Pyongan and Ryanggang provinces.
In the past, state security agents would only search the homes of people who were actually caught using a Chinese phone. But more recently, they are using past Chinese phone usage as a pretext for carrying out searches.
Individuals on the list of past Chinese phone users are now targets for home searches by state security forces. North Korea is trying to catch the last Chinese mobile phones in a dragnet on the grounds that they are a conduit for foreign information that could jeopardize the regime’s security, but that’s easier said than done. Now authorities appear to be resorting to unannounced searches of past Chinese phone users, a source in North Pyongan province said.
Terrorizing communities
These measures appear designed to terrorize the populace to exert greater control over communities, the source explained.
Since authorities are raiding the homes of people for simply having a record of using Chinese phones, even if there’s no evidence of recent usage, people are growing more anxious about state security agents bursting through the door when they least expect it. Some people are even complaining about having trouble sleeping for fear of what might happen in the middle of the night, the source said.
Unannounced home raids by state security agents are also taking place in Hyesan, a city in Ryanggang province. As of the end of last month, three locals had reportedly been arrested in the raids for having Chinese phones in their possession.
In the past, the state security department would only raid the homes of people who were suspected of committing serious crimes, such as espionage. But now they’re raiding people simply for having used phones in the past, which is frightening the local population, a source in Ryanggang province said.
When homes are raided late at night in North Korea, the purpose is usually to arrest and disappear serious criminals or their family members. Locals are deathly afraid that a middle-of-the-night raid by state security agents means they’re going to be dragged off for political crimes, the source said.
Under the current conditions, people with Chinese phones in their possession have reportedly been taking steps to prepare for an unexpected raid by the state security service, such as by hiding the phones somewhere else or simply getting rid of them.
