North Korea Might Start Border Control with 5G Technology

North Korean authorities are combining modern technology into their attempts to control the border with China.

According to some sources in the country, the authorities have a plan to use 5G technology to monitor the situation on the border from far away from Pyongyang with monitoring cameras.

North Korea has already created a 5G network alongside the border in Sinuiju, North Pyongan Province, and launched trial operations.

Disappearing Blind Spots

According to a Daily NK source in North Korea, authorities installed new surveillance cameras close to the Yalu River in Sinuiju in June.

The source said, speaking anonymously, that the move is part of North Korea’s plan to construct a 5G surveillance network on the border.

Based on the source’s account, authorities installed at least one camera every 100 meters.

They installed these cameras where it was difficult to control as the authorities struggled to keep the area under close surveillance.

This installation process of the new cameras will make a significant difference in terms of surveillance. As a result, blind spots disappeared in the area of the China-North Korea border.

According to the source, the Operations Office of the Ministry of State Security in Pyongyang are monitoring these new cameras.

The source said that the authorities could finally monitor the border cameras from Pyongyang by 5G equipment at the border.

Another source speaking anonymously in North Korea said that China agreed in 2019 to cooperate with North Korea. To this end, Beijing has been building a 5G network on the border. He added that, at that time, the country received 5G communications equipment from China.

Last year, North Korea intended to install the 5G equipment purchased from China on the border. But the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily stopped those plans. Therefore, North Korean authorities only recently started to construct 5G systems on the China-North Korea border.