FOR MANY OF US, USING A CELL PHONE IS SOMETHING WE CAN DO WHEREVER WE WANT, WHENEVER WE WANT,
HOWEVER WE WANT.
BUT WHAT'S IT LIKE IN THE WORLD'S MOST CLOSED SOCIETY -- NORTH KOREA?
VOA KOREAN SERVICE REPORTER YONHO KIM INVESTIGATED THAT EXACT QUESTION...
IN COOPERATION WITH THE U-S KOREA INSTITUTE OF JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY, HE AUTHORED THE
REPORT: "CELL PHONES IN NORTH KOREA."
AND OUR ON ASSIGNMENT'S PHILIP ALEXIOU SAT DOWN WITH HIM TO FIND OUT WHAT HE LEARNED.
NOW THIS REPORT, CELL PHONES IN NORTH KOREA, ON THIS PICTURE YOU'VE GOT A COUPLE OF NORTH
KOREANS USING A PHONE.
HOW DIFFICULT WAS IT FOR YOU TO PUT THIS REPORT TOGETHER, I THINK IT'S A 54 PAGE REPORT, WHAT
WERE THE CHALLENGES IN DOING A REPORT LIKE THIS TO COVER SOMETHING LIKE MOBILE PHONE
USE IN NORTH KOREA AND A CLOSED SOCIETY WHERE IT'S DIFFICULT TO GET THE INFORMATION.
AS YOU SAID, IT'S A CLOSED SOCIETY AND WE DON'T HAVE MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT THAT -- WHAT'S
GOING ON RIGHT NOW THERE.
SO, I HAD TO RELY ON MY INTERVIEWS WITH NORTH KOREAN DEFECTORS WHO ACTUALLY USED THE CELL
PHONE IN NORTH KOREA.
BUT, IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO FIND THOSE PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY SHOULD BE PEOPLE WHO RELATIVELY
RECENTLY DEFECTED AND AMONG THEM, AGAIN IT'S NOT THE EASY TO FIND SOMEBODY WHO ACTUALLY
USED CELL PHONE IN NORTH KOREA.
SO, THAT'S THE BIG CHALLENGE AND I GUESS THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS THAT I WAS NOT ABLE TO
FIND ANY MOST UPDATED REFERENCES ON THESE SPECIFIC ISSUES.
SO, IT WAS JUST STARTING FROM SCRATCH FOR ME.
WHAT ARE PEOPLE GETTING OUT OF THE USE OF THESE CELL PHONES BECAUSE THERE ARE CONTROLS.
THE GOVERNMENT ALREADY DECIDED TO LET PEOPLE, MORE AND MORE PEOPLE TO GET THEIR OWN CELL
PHONES.
SO, NOWADAYS EVEN POOR PEOPLE REALLY WANT TO HAVE THEIR OWN TO SHOW OFF THEIR WEALTH,
IF YOU WILL.
I MEAN IT IS ONE OF THE MOST NOTICEABLE EXAMPLE OF CONSPICUOUS CONSUMPTION IN NORTH KOREA.
SO ONE OF MY INTERVIEWEES, HE'S A DEFECTOR WHO ACTUALLY USED THE CELL PHONE IN NORTH
KOREA TOLD ME THAT CELL PHONE HAS BECAME SO POPULAR THAT IF YOU DON'T HAVE CELL PHONE
THEN YOU REALLY HAVE A HARD TIME FINDING A GIRLFRIEND.
IS THAT RIGHT?
YES.
SO, THERE'S A LOT OF PRESTIGE BEHIND HAVING A CELL PHONE AND HOW BADLY DO NORTH KOREANS
WANT A CELL PHONE, WHAT DO THEY DO TO GET ONE.
THEY SELL THEIR HARD EARNED CROPS OR EVEN UM, THEY ALSO, SOME PEOPLE WHO HAVE THEIR
RELATIVES SETTLED DOWN IN SOUTH KOREA, BASICALLY DEFECTORS, AND GETTING SOME MONEY FROM THEM,
THEY HAVE SOME FOREIGN CURRENCIES SO WITH THEIR MONEY THEY CAN AFFORD TO BUY A CELL
PHONE.
THEY'RE CLAMORING TO GET IT YET THEY ARE CAREFUL WITH WHAT THEY SAY ON THE PHONES?
SURE, SURE.
I MEAN THE NORTH KOREAN PEOPLE THEY JUST BELIEVE THEY ARE UNDER SURVEILLANCE ALL THE TIME SO
THEY WON'T SAY ANYTHING POLITICALLY INAPPROPRIATE OR SENSITIVE OVER THE PHONE.
NOW, WHAT ABOUT THE STATE, WHAT ABOUT THE REGIME, WHAT ABOUT KIM JONG UN BECAUSE IT'S
INTERESTING THAT CELL PHONE USE IS ON THE RISE.
THIS IS A COUNTRY OF 25 MILLION PEOPLE, IT'S MOVING TO ABOUT 10 PERCENT OF THE PEOPLE USING
IT, OVER TWO MILLION.
AND BUT, HE'S GETTING SOMETHING OUT OF IT, WHAT IS HE GETTING OUT OF THIS.
HE'S BASICALLY CLAIMING THAT THEY HAVE ACCOMPLISHED THEIR NATIONAL GOAL OF TRANSFORMING THEIR
COUNTRY TO A STRONG AND PROSPEROUS NATION.
DO YOU THINK HE'S DOING THIS BECAUSE THE STATE, AS YOU MENTIONED IN YOUR REPORT, IS ALSO NOW
ABLE TO COLLECT MORE REVENUES.
IS THAT RIGHT?
I'M NOT SURE WHETHER THAT WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THEIR PLAN WHEN THEY DECIDED TO INTRODUCE
THIS MOBILE TECHNOLOGY.
BUT, OBVIOUSLY THE GOVERNMENT HAS EXCLUSIVE RIGHT TO SELL THE HANDSETS.
AND IN YOUR SUBTITLE I'LL ASK YOU HAS NORTH KOREA ENTERED THE TELECOMMUNICATION REVOLUTION.
WHAT SAY YOU?
I GUESS I WOULD SAY THE NORTH KOREAN PEOPLE ARE FAR AWAY FROM THE THRESHOLD EVEN THRESHOLD
OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS REVOLUTION, BUT FROM THEIR POINT OF VIEW IT'S REALLY A BIG CULTURE
SHOCK.
I MEAN, FOR EXAMPLE TAKING PICTURES WITH THEIR TINY LITTLE PHONE, ITS AMAZING THIS REALLY
PLEASANT SURPRISE TO THEM.
THEY WERE NOT ACTUALLY INTERESTED IN SENDING PHOTOS OR WERE NOT AWARE OF THE CAPABILITY
OF THEIR PHONE BUT THEY WERE REALLY HAPPY ABOUT TAKING PICTURES ANYTIME, ANYWHERE YOU
WANT AND BRING YOUR CELL PHONE TO SOMEBODY WHO HAPPENED TO HAVE COLOR PRINTER AND HAVE
HIM PRINT THAT OUT.
THAT QUICK OF A PROCESS WAS REALLY SHOCKING AND PLEASANT TO THE PEOPLE AND MANY PEOPLE
REALLY ENJOYED THAT SERVICE.
VOA KOREAN SERVICE REPORTER YONHO KIM.
NOW HE REPORTS NORTH KOREAN POLICE OFTEN STOP CELL PHONE USERS ON THE STREET TO SEARCH FOR
WHAT THEY DESCRIBE AS "POLITICALLY INAPPROPRIATE" CONTENT ON THEIR PHONES, WHICH THE POLICE
CAN THEN CONFISCATE ON THE SPOT AND THEY CAN EVEN SEND A PHONE USER STRAIGHT TO PRISON.
THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE...
SO CRAZY...