North Koreans Risk Going to Prison When Calling Family Members Abroad

According to a recent report, some North Koreans have state agents knocking on their doors a few months after the international phone calls are made.

A North Korean woman in traditional dress in Pyongyang on April 13, 2012. Jones/AFP/Getty Images

North Koreans are at risk of being sent to political prison camps or other detention facilities for making phone calls to their loved ones abroad.

According to a recent report by Amnesty International, some North Koreans have state agents knocking on their doors a few months after the international phone calls are made.

The human rights group said some people in the country have used illicitly traded mobile phones to communicate with their loved ones who have fled abroad. Most of the devices used are called “Chinese mobile phones.”

Amnesty East Asia researcher Arnold Fang speaks during a press conference on restrictions on mobile phones and outside information in North Korea, in Seoul on March 9, 2016. JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/Getty Images