North Korea purchasing Chinese surveillance cameras to enhance control: Report
- In Reports
- 02:40 PM, Apr 17, 2024
- Myind Staff
A report released reveals that North Korea is intensifying its surveillance efforts by installing surveillance cameras in schools and workplaces and collecting biometric data such as fingerprints and photographs from its citizens.
The state's adoption of digital surveillance tools, a combination of equipment sourced from China and domestically developed software, poses a significant threat to the few remaining spaces where North Koreans can engage in private business activities, access foreign media, and voice criticisms of their government, according to researchers.
However, North Korea faces challenges in realising its digital surveillance ambitions, including unreliable electricity supplies and limited network connectivity. Despite these challenges, the report, published by the North Korea-focused website 38 North, suggests that digital surveillance in North Korea is not as widespread as in China. This is due to the country's historical dependence on traditional methods of citizen surveillance.
The study's conclusions coincide with commonly held beliefs that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is intensifying measures to reinforce the state's grip on its citizens and cultivate loyalty to his regime.
Efforts to tighten state control were bolstered by the COVID-19 pandemic, during which North Korea imposed stringent border controls that remained in place for three years before cautiously reopening in 2023.
Recent legislation and reports of stricter penalties indicate that the government is clamping down on foreign influence and imported media, possibly aided by the installation of fences and electronic monitoring systems along the border with China during the pandemic.
Martyn Williams, an analyst who co-authored the study with Natalia Slavney, remarked, "Having witnessed the possibility of tightly sealing the border, I believe they are now determined to maintain this level of control."
He added, "While the pandemic may have played a role in broader surveillance efforts across the country, the decreasing cost of surveillance equipment has likely had a much larger impact."
The report analysed North Korean surveillance technologies using data from domestic and international media, as well as research from North Korean universities and state organisations. Researchers also conducted interviews with 40 North Korean defectors and surveyed 100 current residents in 2023 through encrypted communication channels to protect their safety.
State media reports indicate a growing prevalence of video surveillance in schools, workplaces, and airports in North Korea. The cameras, primarily supplied by Chinese vendors, vary from basic video feeds to more advanced models equipped with features such as face recognition.
Experts caution that China is exporting its AI-powered surveillance technology to countries worldwide.
According to North Korean state media, cameras are now present in most schools in the capital, Pyongyang, and other major cities. This allows school staff to remotely monitor activities in classrooms, with the capability to pan and zoom to focus on individual students or teachers.
Image source: AP News
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