Tag: mobile phones
North Korea cracks down on youths using South Korean-style word for...
Authorities in Chongjin, North Hamgyong province, summoned three young people to a provincial youth league office this month over their use of the South...
Wealthy North Korean youth hide old players to dodge crackdowns
Young North Koreans from wealthy families are deliberately buying old, worn-out video players instead of newer models. They can easily afford better devices. Instead,...
North Korea bans mobile phones for children under 14
North Korea's South Pyongan province issued a sweeping ban on mobile phone possession by children under 14 in June 2026, threatening parents and teachers...
North Korea ramps up phone surveillance, stoking fear among traders
North Korean authorities in North Pyongan province have sharply intensified phone surveillance in 2026, intercepting both landline and mobile calls to crack down on...
North Korea intensifies Chinese mobile phone crackdown ahead of half-year performance...
Security agents in North Korea's border regions have intensified efforts to catch people using Chinese mobile phones, enlisting ordinary citizens alongside informants to monitor...
High school students in North Korea rack up bank debt via...
North Korean high school students are taking out bank loans through their mobile phones without their parents' knowledge, spending the money on smartphone games...
North Korea’s mobile phone insurance scheme draws anger as claims routinely...
North Korea's state-run mobile phone insurance program promises to reimburse policyholders for theft and technical failures, but the benefits rarely materialize in practice, with...
When one North Korean defector disappears in China, police round up...
Chinese police have sharply intensified surveillance of North Korean defectors living in China, summoning and interrogating entire social networks whenever a single individual goes...
North Korea loosens mobile restrictions as it courts Chinese investment
North Korea appears to be easing mobile phone restrictions on Chinese nationals entering the country for business, a move observers inside the country are...
North Korean remittance brokers disguise themselves as traveling salespeople to evade...
Operators in border regions carry sweets and underwear to mask their use of Chinese mobile phones for money transfers, as state security intensifies surveillance...
