DPRK has decided to foreigners living in Pyongyang to use cell phones and is receiving applications, reported the Tokyo Shimbun Saturday, citing a DPRK official in Beijing.

DPRK started mobile phone service in 2002 but did not allow registration in the names of foreigners, in fact limiting their use by foreigners.

The Tokyo Shimbun reported that DPRK seems to have decided to lift the ban to accelerate trade, though there are worries of internal information flowing out through cell phones.

Cell phones have to be purchased individually and the fee for applying for mobile phone service is 980 euros, which is about W1.3 million. According to the Tokyo Shimbun, the charge for a one-minute call is 0.7 euro, about W930 and the rate for receiving calls is 0.2 euro, about W260.

Source: Agencies