The
number of mobile phones in use in North Korea is estimated at around 6 million, with each device selling for $100 to $200, South Korean Minister of Unification Cho Myoung-gyon said Monday.
Cho made the remark during a session of the National Assembly's Special Committee on Budget and Accounts, when Rep. Yoon Hu-duk of the ruling Democratic Party asked him to confirm whether an estimate of 6 million cell phone subscribers in the North was right or wrong.
The current population of North Korea is slightly over 25 million.
When Yoon asked if North Korean student subscribers can watch the videos of South Korean boy band BTS on YouTube, Cho responded, "The Internet is not open (to North Koreans). Their mobile phones have restrictions and operate like a local network. But we have heard that videos of (South Korean singers) are circulating among the North's youth."
The minister went on to say that mobile phones now in use in North Korea are considered below 3G and sell for $100 to $200 a unit. (Yonhap)
