Imagine your phone secretly taking a screenshot every five minutes, without your permission. That’s the reality for people living in North Korea. A smartphone smuggled out of the country has revealed just how deeply the government monitors its citizens. At first glance, the phone looks like any regular Android device, but beneath the surface, it’s built to spy on users 24/7.

Every few minutes, the phone silently takes a screenshot and saves it in a hidden folder. Users can't see or delete these images, but authorities can review them at any time. It’s not just about surveillance,  it’s control at the most personal level.The phone also censors certain words. For example, if someone types “oppa”, a casual South Korean term for an older brother or boyfriend,  it gets changed to “comrade,” along with a warning. Typing “South Korea” is automatically replaced by “puppet state,” in line with North Korea’s strict propaganda rules.

There’s no access to the global internet either. Everything is filtered, controlled, and monitored. Even popular South Korean culture, like music or dramas, is banned. Youth patrols often stop people on the streets to check their phones for illegal content.

This phone, shown in a BBC report and smuggled out by the media group Daily NK, exposes the harsh digital reality in North Korea. Experts say such strict monitoring isn’t just about blocking outside information,  it’s about shaping people’s thoughts and making sure they stay loyal to the regime. While much of the world uses smartphones for freedom and connection, in North Korea, it’s just another tool for control.