Leaked North Korean phone shows regime's extreme censorship of foreign media

A smuggled mobile phone from North Korea has revealed new details about the country's strict censorship system, which blocks nearly all access to foreign content, especially anything related to South Korea.

According to a BBC report, North Korean smartphones automatically censor language and monitor user activity. Common South Korean words are altered or corrected, and the phone takes screenshots every five minutes without the user’s knowledge. These images are saved in a hidden folder only accessible to authorities, allowing them to closely track users' behavior.

For example, the popular South Korean word “Oppa,” often used to refer to boyfriends or older male figures, is automatically corrected to “Comrade.” A warning under the keyboard tells users the word can only be used to refer to actual siblings. Similarly, typing “South Korea” on a North Korean phone results in an automatic correction to “Puppet State” —a term used by the regime to portray South Korea as being controlled by the United States.

Mobile phones, radios, and other communication tools in North Korea are tightly controlled. Devices are locked to only receive state propaganda and are sealed to prevent any modifications.

Any attempt to access external information is treated as a criminal act. The general population has no access to the global internet.

The regime’s crackdown on foreign influence, especially from South Korea, has reportedly intensified under Kim Jong Un. A report citing testimonies from 649 North Korean defectors revealed that authorities routinely inspect phones to suppress “western influence” and other signs of exposure to South Korean culture .

K-pop and K-dramas are strictly banned in the country. In one case, a 22-year-old man was reportedly executed in public for listening to and sharing South Korean music and films, according to a human rights report by South Korea’s unification ministry.