Amnesty spotlights North Korea crackdown on mobile phone use
Human rights watchdog says Pyongyang is handing out harsh penalties for those attempting to contact relatives based overseas
North Korea is cracking down on the private use of mobile telephones to make international calls, as the authorities seek to bolster its citizens’ isolation from the outside world, Amnesty International said on Wednesday.
A report by the human rights watchdog said Kim Jong-un regime’s was doling out harsh penalties – including internment in political prison camps – to those caught trying to contact relatives who had fled overseas.
“To maintain their absolute and systematic control, the North Korean authorities are striking back against people using mobile phones to contact family abroad,” said Amnesty east Asia researcher Arnold Fang.
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While the country’s popular domestic mobile phone service has over three million subscribers, international calls are strictly blocked for North Korean users.
Instead, many rely on so-called “Chinese mobile phones” – imported handsets and SIM cards that allow international calls via Chinese mobile networks near the border, the report said.
To maintain their absolute and systematic control, the North Korean authorities are striking back against people using mobile phones to contact family abroad
