Is it true that mobile phones are banned in North Korea and if so, then why?

BRY2K

Not any longer. The ban was lifted this year. Cell phones have been banned in North Korea since a 2004 explosion in the city of Ryongchon. Their use fell under other bans that included the distribution of leaflets or contact with anyone outside of the country. The ban on cell phones will first be lifted in the capitol city of Pyongyang sometime this year, and then extended throughout the country later. Egypt's Orascom Telecom will provide wireless service. http://www.switched.com/2008/02/19/north-korea-lifts-cell-phone-ban/ Mar 09 08, 6:03 AM

author

As this quote tells, the ban didn't cover all of North Korea in the period 2003-2008. There were thousands of cell phones used by North Korean along the Chinese border. Quote: In 2003, Chinese cell phone companies began building relay stations along the North Korean border. According to accounts by North Korean defectors and Chinese traders, Chinese cell phones - and the prepaid phone cards needed to use them - are now a hot black market item, despite government efforts to ban them. The restrictions have been unsuccessful largely because North Korean elites require cell phones in order to conduct business with Chinese traders. Now, as many as 20,000 North Koreans are believed to have access to Chinese cell phones. http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/display.article?id=5145 Mar 09 08, 6:22 AM