North Korean security agencies have begun launching sting operations using the Chinese messaging app WeChat to crack down on people using illegal Chinese-made mobile phones. This tactic is reportedly causing growing resentment among North Koreans.
A source in Ryanggang province told Daily NK recently that state security agents “confiscate the phones of people caught during crackdowns on Chinese-made mobile phone users and access the WeChat apps on those phones to send messages, monitoring the receivers’ responses to uncover evidence of past smuggling or money remittances.”
According to the source, security agents open WeChat on confiscated phones and send messages like “Did you receive the item?” or “Please send it again” to contacts in the chat history. If they receive a response, they follow up with additional questions to confirm whether the responders have engaged in smuggling or cash remittances with the phone owner.
The issue extends beyond simply curbing illegal behavior, as security agents often use this method to extract bribes or improve their performance statistics.
“After using WeChat to confirm histories of smuggling or remittances, the security agents intentionally send leading messages, and if the receiver responds, they frequently use this as leverage to demand money,” the source explained.
Security agents also commonly pressure individuals caught with Chinese-made mobile phones to send WeChat messages to their contacts, promising lighter punishment “if they help them catch other Chinese-made mobile phone users when the receiver responds.”
One Hyesan resident who was caught during a crackdown was encouraged to send a WeChat message to their business partner when a security agent offered to reduce his punishment if he helped catch someone else.
However, when the receiver didn’t respond, the individual ultimately received a three-month forced labor sentence.
Angry that he lost the trust of his friends and still had to perform forced labor because a security agent pressured him into sending a WeChat message, the individual reported the agent to the provincial party committee.
“People understand that possessing a Chinese-made mobile phone is illegal, so they typically try to resolve matters quietly if caught. But increasingly, people are desperately reporting security agents because of their excessive misconduct,” the source said.
Because reeducation camp inmates risk additional time for reporting officials, they rarely do so. However, individuals in the preliminary investigation stage or those who received relatively light sentences, such as disciplinary labor, are willing to report security agents despite the risks.
“People complain that state security agents are becoming more underhanded, with their highhandedness so severe that they take money and force you to inform on your friends simply for being caught once with a mobile phone—they even pressure you to fabricate information,” the source said.
“People say the agents are ultimately lining their own pockets using crackdowns as a pretext, and some also note that how much you have to pay depends on which agent caught you,” he added.
April 07, 2025 at 06:00AM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)