All Change for North Korean Phone Numbers - NK TechLab

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Telecommunications

All Change for North Korean Phone Numbers

Martyn Williams

August 18, 2026

North Korea changed its national telephone numbering system last year, but the change wasn’t mentioned in any North Korean media accessible outside the country. The reason for the change is unclear, but such changes typically take place because of network modernization and to facilitate future expansion.

Usually such a major change would receive wide media coverage to avoid user confusion, but North Korea treats telephone numbers as sensitive information, so it’s likely details of the change were only disseminated through internal media channels. These include the “Third Radio Network” which connects via fixed wire into North Korean homes precisely for the broadcast of sensitive information to citizens.

Based on data obtained from a North Korean source, the area code for Pyongyang has been changed from 02 to 01. This change means Pyongyang’s area code no longer matches that of Seoul, South Korea.

Area codes across the country have changed, but the source indicates that seven-digit phone numbers used in Pyongyang and the six-digit numbers used in the rest of the country are unchanged. For example, the number for the Rodong Sinmun editorial bureau simply changed from 02-373-1328 to 01-373-1328.

The new area codes for the country are as follows:

01 Pyongyang

02x South Phyongan

03x North Phyongan

04x South Hwanghae

05x North Hwanghae

06x Jagang

07x Kangwon

08x South Hamgyong

09x North Hamgyong

109 Ryangang

119 Nampho

129 Rason

139 Kaesong

The provincial capital takes the “1” code in each sequence, so for example Pyongsong is 021 and Wonsan is 071. Larger towns have their own codes within the provincial block, for example Munchon is 072.

Landlines appear to be used mostly by organizations and businesses and are less common in North Korea homes. Most North Korean households stay in touch via mobile phone. Those area codes are unchanged at 191 for Koryolink and 195 for Kangsong.

The new numbering system went into use around October 2025 with North Korean listings showing the new numbers from then on. Notably, the “Foreign Trade” magazine published by the country’s Chamber of Commerce still lists the old area codes in its 2026 editions and the websites of the Chinese and Russian embassies still show the old codes.

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