A/HRC/25/CRP.1 efforts to purge Mr Jang from the DPRK’s (political) history and is reflective of how the state controls and manipulates information to support its official position. 213. Department 27 is also believed to be responsible for monitoring email transmissions, and the use of mobile phones and satellite phones including those of foreigners.202 Surveillance apparatus in the DPRK is increasingly sophisticated, and the areas monitored are increasingly expanding beyond the border areas. Information received by the Commission indicates that the SSD employs a large number of hackers who interfere with websites critical of the regime.203 • Mr Kim Joo-il, who fled the DPRK and now runs a website with political news and human rights information about the DPRK, testified before the Commission that his page was attacked on so many occasions that his service provider had informed him that it was no longer willing to host the webpage.204 (c) Crackdown on foreign movies and mobile telephones 214. All CDs and DVDs used in the DPRK must have a stamp to show they are government approved. Over the last few years with the growth of informal markets, movies and recorded television programmes from the Republic of Korea are increasingly being smuggled into the DPRK for use on CD/DVD players and mini disk drives. Local officials, sometimes including SSD agents, or persons connected to these officials, are often involved in secretly selling and distributing ROK films. A 2012 study on the changing media environment in the DPRK found that half of its sample reported having watched a foreign DVD.205 215. Many witnesses spoke about crackdowns and inspections searching for ROK soap operas and films on DVDs, CDs and USB sticks. They recounted personally being caught and punished for watching ROK content, or knowing people who were subject to such treatment.206 The minimum punishment for those found to have watched South Korean films or with South Korean films in their possession was a period in a labour re-education centre.207 216. Articles 194 and 195 of the DPRK’s 2009 Criminal Code provide for the punishment of reform through labour for any period less than five years, depending on the gravity of the offence, with respect to the “conduct of decadent acts” such as “watching or listening to music, dance, drawings, photos, books, video-recordings or electronic media that reflects decadent, carnal or foul contents” as well as “listening to hostile broadcasting and collect[ing], keeping and distribut[ing] enemy propaganda”.208 • Ms L testified that she regularly watched ROK movies on a hard disk or CD, but she was very scared of being caught. Some of the vendors were shot to death. She was 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 TBG031. TLC041 referred to Bureau 14 being responsible for monitoring telephone waves. See also “North Korea’s ‘World Class’ Cyber Attacks Coming from China”, VOA News, 21 November 2013. Officials in the ROK were reported to have said that recent cyber attacks traced to Pyongyang have demonstrated hacking capabilities that are world class, and that there are seven North Korean hacking organizations and a network of spies operating in China and Japan. Available from http://www.voanews.com/content/north-koreas-world-class-cyber-attacks-coming-fromchina/1795349.html. London Public Hearing, 23 October 2013, session 4. Intermedia, “A Quiet Opening: North Koreans in a Changing Media Environment”, p. 8. TAP001, TAP002, TAP008, TAP015, TJH017, TJH028, TSH019, TSH052. TAP002; Intermedia, “A Quiet Opening: North Koreans in a Changing Media Environment”, p. 71. 2009 Criminal Code of the DPRK as translated by Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights. 59