◆Even Photos of Beggars and Statue Cleaning Are Prohibited
According to South Korea's KINU, an estimated 6 million mobile phones were in use in North Korea as of 2021. North Korean phones have camera functions and can transmit photos and videos, essentially creating 6 million potential videographers in the country.
We live in an age where photos and videos of accidents or conflicts can spread instantly. For the Kim Jong Un regime, which seeks tight control over information flow, the proliferation of mobile devices poses a threat.
Our partner explains how authorities are particularly sensitive about phone photography:
"You can't freely take photos in public anymore. Photography of homeless people is strictly forbidden. Someone was even investigated for photographing the cleaning of (Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il) statues. Taking pictures of price tags in shops or markets also gets reported.
If you display any suspicious behavior with your phone, the Security Department's mobile unit immediately arrives to check its contents. It's almost better not to carry a phone at all.
During house searches, they first demand to see your phone and investigate everything - photos, videos, call history, and even contact names. They then threaten you to confess if you've ever used your phone for anything problematic."
◆Hiding Reality from the Outside World?
In March last year, a video shown at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva garnered global attention. It showed people collapsed on streets and a man in tattered clothes begging in an almost inaudible voice.
This footage was taken by a man who later defected by boat in May 2023. The authorities' heightened sensitivity to mobile phone photography appears to stem from concerns about information spreading not only domestically but also reaching the outside world.
※ASIAPRESS communicates with its reporting partners through Chinese cell phones smuggled into North Korea.
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