North Koreans with mobile phones are deliberately avoiding video calls amid heightened government surveillance. Mobile users are shunning features like video calling and file sharing to avoid attracting unwanted attention from authorities.
While restrictions on sending photos and videos have technically been lifted, most North Koreans limit themselves to games and basic voice calls, aware that officials can access their transmission records. Video calls face particular scrutiny, with restrictions at monuments and historical sites, and carry higher costs than regular calls.
“Crackdowns and controls are an inevitable part of life,” a source in Ryanggang province told Daily NK. “Since numerous people end up being caught in the dragnet, it’s common to talk about the importance of not giving law enforcement the slightest pretext for making an arrest.”
The surveillance is especially strict along the Chinese border, where authorities frequently monitor calls and conduct street inspections of phones. Rather than risk scrutiny, many North Koreans simply avoid using features that might draw attention.
“People are totally uninterested in phone features that could get them in trouble,” the source said. “Since you have to worry about whether you’ve used any problematic words when sending a text nowadays, some suggest the authorities should just ban mobile phones altogether.”
Young people have expressed frustration with these limitations. “Other countries are doing just fine even though people can watch and say whatever they want on their mobile phones,” one Hyesan resident said. Another complained: “It really upsets me that I can’t do as I like with the mobile phone I bought with my own money. It’s not like the government gave it to me for free.”
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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