{"id":4377,"date":"2019-12-11T09:37:41","date_gmt":"2019-12-11T00:37:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.01.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/?p=4377"},"modified":"2019-12-12T10:47:14","modified_gmt":"2019-12-12T01:47:14","slug":"borrowedphone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/2019\/12\/news\/borrowedphone\/","title":{"rendered":"\uff1cInside N. Korea\uff1e Candle in the Wind: Burner Phones Bring Freedom of Communication But Now Face Crackdown"},"content":{"rendered":"
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(Photo) A man turns over his notebook as he talks on his mobile phone. Photograph taken by Koo Kwang-ho in the Moran District of downtown Pyongyang in June 2011<\/p><\/div>\n

Many people in North Korea use burner phones, bought under the names of others. The authorities though, angered by not being able to identify those participating in intercepted communications, have now begun a full-fledged crackdown and intensive investigation to identify all burner phone owners. In mid-November, a reporting partner living in North Korea gave the following report. (Kang Ji-won \/ ISHIMARU Jiro)<\/p>\n

According to the reporting partner, measures to ensure that mobile phones are registered under users\u2019 real names were instituted in October. The first such measure was a rule limiting each person to possess only one phone. In North Korea, there are two telephone networks, Kangseong Net, which covers the provinces, and Goryeo Link, which is centered in Pyongyang. Some people had two or three mobile phones for conducting business in both the capital and the provinces but the \u2018one phone per person\u2019 rule has since been thoroughly implemented. \u201cIf someone wants to use an additional mobile phone, it is not easy to get approval because the procedure has become very difficult,\u201d the reporting partner says.<\/p>\n

At the heart of the crackdown is the eradication of burner phones. In December, 2008, North Korea\u2019s mobile telecommunication network was launched. Since then, the number of subscribers has increased rapidly, with the current number of mobile phone users in North Korea said to exceed 5 million people.
\nNext page :Mobile phone penetration rate of 25% but tapping is limited...<\/strong>
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\u25c6 Mobile phone penetration rate of 25% but tapping is limited<\/h2>\n

With the expansion of mobile phones also came the rapid spread of burner phones registered under other people\u2019s names. The method to do so was simple. Cash or rice would be given to a poor person to register a phone under their name. Black-market \u2018brokers\u2019 would look for people to lend their names and would also take charge of mobile phone purchases and registration at post offices. Under this system, a person paid to lend their name would not know who possessed the phone registered to them.<\/p>\n

The reporting partner explained, \u201cThe secret police is orchestrating the crackdown while claiming that the sale of stimulants, smuggling, and other illegal activities using burner phones is on the rise.\u201d<\/p>\n

In North Korea, it is common knowledge that phones are tapped, so people use burner phones registered under other people\u2019s names. In other words, a degree of freedom of communication in North Korea came as a direct result of the spread of burner phones. Communicating between burner phones, people could speak freely about politics and even criticize Kim Jong-un with the authorities finding it too difficult to figure out the culprit.<\/p>\n

According to the reporting partner, \u201cIf you lose your mobile phone, you must report it immediately to the post office so that the Secret Police can be notified at once. After reporting the loss, the phone will be suspended immediately.\u201d In addition, when purchasing a mobile phone, the post office now checks whether the registered name matches that of the user.<\/p>\n

On top of that, this year the North Korean authorities are tightening control of mobile phones by checking messages and photos on people\u2019s devices at street checkpoints and banning military personnel from using mobile phones.<\/p>\n

Like a candle in the wind, the fate of North Korea\u2019s newfound \u201cfreedom of communication\u201d delicately hangs in the balance. (Kang Ji-won)<\/p>\n

\u203bASIAPRESS contacts reporting partners in North Korea through smuggled Chinese mobile phones.<\/p>\n

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