Can You Bring A Mobile Phone?
Contrary to many outdated internet stories, you can bring your cellphone with you on most journeys to North Korea (DPRK). It is not necessary to leave your cell phone at home or to check it at the airport. This used to be the case, but not any longer (as of a few years ago)!
North Korea has allowed travelers to bring cellphones since 2013. To make calls, however, you must use a local SIM card because no foreign SIM cards function in the country. Furthermore, the local SIM cards made accessible to visitors are not the same as those used by North Koreans.
Visitors are unable to call local numbers. The only exemption is when traveling to Sinuiju by overland from China for a day trip or overnight stay. Otherwise, a cell phone can be taken on any trip to Pyongyang, the capital, or any other overland border crossing.
You must declare your phone, as well as any other devices you may be carrying, when you arrive in North Korea (phones, iPads, computers, etc.). On arriving in Korea, Korean customs may ask to inspect your electronic gadgets.
