N. Korean border guard and smuggler arrested for using Chinese mobile phone

In mid-April, a central government inspection team arrested a border guard and smuggler on suspicion of using Chinese mobile phones to communicate with the outside world, Daily NK has learned.

On April 30, a source in Yanggang Province told Daily NK that “a soldier came in are in his early twenties with a border patrol unit and a smuggler in his early fifties were suddenly arrested on April 17 by the provincial branch of the Ministry of State Security in Kimjongsuk County. The two were arrested by members of the non-socialist and anti-socialist unity commandos emergency inspection team in the border region, so it is lThey will probably be severely punished.”

According to the source, the pair secretly used a Chinese mobile phone to communicate with the oldother world while performing operations. The two people started smuggling operations as soon as they noticed that pandemic border controls were easing and relations with China were improving.

The pair paid off members of the provincial bureau of the Ministry of State Security, allowing them to operate comfortably for a while. However, they were eventually caught during a surprise inspection when a The emergency inspection team sent from Pyongyang picked up their signal using cars equipped with signal detection equipment and other equipment for detecting electrical waves.

“After reopening the borders, (the regime) has consistently attacked the use of Chinese mobile phones, but the problem persisted, leading Kim Yo Jong to immediately issue an order to reduce cooperation between the military and civilians along the border exterminate. and illegal border crossings and defections,” the source said. “(The inspection team) warned that they would not look the other way for anyone this time, so the investigation into the couple is likely to be swift and result in heavy penalties.”

The government considers people who use Chinese mobile phones to be involved in the consumption and distribution of foreign media, as the phones are considered an important channel for bringing external media into the country. The ‘Anti-Reactionary Thought Law’ passed in December 2020 stipulates harsh penalties for consuming and distributing foreign media, meaning the pair are likely to face stiff legal penalties for using Chinese mobile phones in their smuggling activities.

That said, Daily NK’s source said the regime recently appears to be easing penalties for simply consuming foreign media. The ‘Anti-Reactionary Thought Law’ has helped create an atmosphere of fear among North Koreans, leading to speculation that the government may be focusing on a more conciliatory approach to consumers of foreign media.

“In the past, repeat offenders were banned without exception, but now they say (ban) is reserved for people who have been arrested at least three times. Overall, the severity of punishments (for viewing foreign media) seems to have dropped quite a bit,” the source explained.

“However, in cases where the perpetrator has some degree of public influence, the brutality of public hearings and insults for viewing foreign videos has increased (to give an example of these individuals). When teachers are caught, they are criticized during ideological battle sessions or sometimes forced to do uncompensated labor, but they maintain their positions.

“In the border area between China and North Korea, surprise inspections are carried out by the central government once or twice a quarter. It is difficult to know where or when the inspections take place, so it is challenging to even know how many people have been caught in these inspections.”

Translated by Rose Adams. Edited by Robert Lauler.

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