North Korea's 7 million smartphone users under regime's watchful eye

In this photo from Feb. 12, 2019, a woman uses a smartphone as she watches a chef prepare food during North Korea's national cooking competition in Pyongyang. AFP-Yonhap

Services limited to 3G, no international calling, no internet access

By Ko Dong-hwan

On Tuesday, Martyn Williams, a fellow at the Stimson Center, an American nonprofit think-tank promoting international peace and security through technical analysis, gave a presentation revealing a new kind of North Korean map, never before seen by the public. Covered with countless tiny turquoise dots, the map was titled "Estimated North Korean Cellular Coverage: 5 kilometer Coverage Estimated from Observed Cellphone Towers." The map came from the 38 North Digital Atlas website, made by 38 North, a Washington-based think tank dedicated to studying the reclusive state.

The presentation, in the downtown area of Gwanghwamun in Seoul, was delivered by Williams and Natalie Slavney, also a Stimson Center fellow. They showed that there were more than 1,000 cellular towers ― with their coverage areas represented by the turquoise dots ― across North Korea. Between 6.5 million and 7 million phone plan subscribers are estimated to be using the service delivered by two mobile carriers: Koryolink, set up by Egypt's engineering and construction firm Orascom in 2008, and KangSeong by the North Korean government in 2013. Testimonies by North Korean defectors confirmed that the majority of people in Pyongyang use Koryolink.

The Americans spent years locating the antenna towers by studying satellite images and photos released by North Korean media. Whenever they spotted what appeared to be a high tower paired with a little "hut" next to it, they assumed it was a tower and the adjunct telecommunication stations.

In one photo released earlier this year on the country's state TV, a march was taking place in the streets of Chongjin, North Hamgyong Province. Way off in the background, a tiny tower was vaguely visible on top of a building. A satellite image also showed a group several solar panels installed near another telecommunication station. The panels are assumed to provide supplementary power in case of a power shortage, due to the unstable power distribution that's usual in the country, said Williams.

With red lines identified as major local roads in North Korea, cellphone coverage in the country is concentrated alongside roads, according to this map released by the Stimson Center. Courtesy of Stimson Center

The researchers said they also talked to defectors who had left the country within the past five years and whose ages ranged from their 20s to early 50s.

Williams said that the phones used by North Koreans are prevalent mid-market Android models made by Chinese companies. Their phones have no internet access and users can only install and use apps approved by the state government. The phones come with software installed so as to prevent users from using anything but state-approved content.

A speed upgrade for online services was stopped in 2008 when 3G was introduced (2G was introduced in 2002), and only local phone calls can be made. The state authority also grants each phone plan subscriber a limited amount of time per month for making calls. Once a user reaches the phone call limit, purchasing subsequent minutes costs so much that they register a new account under the names of other people who don't need a smartphone and use their initial minutes, paying only the basic monthly subscription fee.

More recently, Wi-Fi networks have emerged. But they are heavily secured, allowing access only to those with registered phones and who have electronically registered their names, IDs, passwords and even cellphone SIM cards. One such network, called Mirae Network, was set up in Pyongyang in 2017 with a speed of 33 megabytes per second, which is more than 10 times faster than 3G.

"They don't offer any internet access but they do offer connections to domestic services especially scientific databases for research communities," Williams said. "And there was a recent report that said that Mirae had expanded beyond Pyongyang into Pyongsong and Nampo. North Korean media has also talked about a second network called Ullim but very little is known about that."

North Koreans in Pyongyang read a report on a smartphone about the country's leader Kim Jong-un arriving in Vietnam for his second summit with the U.S. President Donald Trump, in this photo from Feb. 27, 2019. Reuters-Yonhap

Slavney said that North Korea continues to roll out mobile communication technologies to its people but keeps close control over what they do with it. The strategy, despite keeping a hawkish eye over the public, has encouraged the country's private sector to boom with smartphones, including phone plan subscribers and phone traders.

"The country has a lot to gain from deploying this technology, especially in the nation where some calls are still patched through by hand," said she. "During the coronavirus pandemic, the national internet and domestic video-conferencing system called Nakwon and North Koreans could continue to stay connected despite pandemic restrictions. And for individuals, just the ability to make and receive calls and messages on the move can mean a more efficient life."

The state leader Kim Jong-un announced during the 8th Party Congress in January that the country's telecommunication industry will have to be upgraded, improving infrastructure and pursuing next-generation communications. But with current sanctions placed by Western countries, headed by the United States against Pyongyang, as well as the project's high costs, "it could be tough," Slavney said.

"That's probably why we haven't heard anything else about this plan since his speech from last January," he added. "But whatever updates happen, the government is certain to continue to monitor domestic communications and restrict access to information, which is a fundamental freedom in human rights."

最新评论