North Korea Cuts Phones, Hunts Down Phone Books, After Directory Leaked

North Korean students use a public phone after school on May 6, 2004 in Pyongyang, North Korea. Landlines have been shut down in North Korea, possibly due to a leaked phone director. While cell phone usage is prevalent in the capital, landlines are used by budget conscious merchants and state-owned companies, many officials and businesses are struggling to communicate. Pool/Getty Images

North Korea has cut landlines nationwide, possibly due to a phone book that escaped the country.

According to Daily NK, the regime ordered the shutdown in order to change its phone number system.