North Korea – Information Warfare: Phone Calls That Kill

Can’t let the peasants know there’s a better life on the other side of the border….

One major reason for this obsession is the many North Koreans who escaped to South Korea. These refugees use Chinese cell phone service along the North Korea/China border to connect with current North Korea friends and family and give convincing proof that life is much better outside North Korea. To the North Korean government this is tantamount to organizing a revolution against the Kim dynasty and the police state that keeps the Kim family in power.

Stop the free speech…

People can say whatever they want using Chinese cell phone service, and the government is determined to stop this dangerous outbreak of free speech. There are believed to be dozens of the German detectors currently in use, with teams (consisting of several dozen secret police agents) moving through neighborhoods and hauling away those found with cell phones. The new detectors are small enough to fit in a pocket, so the secret police teams are fairly inconspicuous. The cell phone users are usually engaged in commercial activities, or simply communicating with friends and family but any unauthorized communications is considered treason.

Some North Koreans have established a lucrative business by selling North Koreans access to relatives in China, South Korea or elsewhere, via calls on these phones. The government wants to stop all of this. So far, the effort has been unsuccessful, even though punishment for illegal cell phone use has been increased year by year.

One wonders if German companies knew where the cell phone detectors were being shipped to or if these transactions were “laundered?”