SURPRISING

LAWS IN
NORTH
KOREA

WRITTEN BY: CERNEI DOINA


NORTH KOREA NEVER CEASES TO
AMAZE THE WHOLE WORLD. DESPITE
THE FACT THAT THIS COUNTRY IS
CLOSED TO ORDINARY TOURISTS,
THE TOTALITARIAN
NATION OF NORTH KOREA,
RULED BY ITS SUPREME
LEADER KIM JONG UN, HAS
UNUSUAL LAWS SUCH AS
BAN ON LISTENING TO
FOREIGN MUSIC, WEARING

N
JEANS, OR WOMEN

O
AND YOU ARE UNLIKELY TO SEE A

TI
PHOTO FROM THERE ON INSTAGRAM, DRIVING, THAT MAY LEAD

AC
NEVERTHELESS, SOMETIMES
INTERESTING INFORMATION ABOUT
TO ONE’S EXECUTION.

G
N
THIS COUNTRY DOES GET OUT.

SI
RI
EXPOSITION
 1.WATCHING FOREIGN MOVIES OR LISTENING TO FOREIGN
MUSIC CAN SEND NORTH KOREAN CITIZENS TO JAIL. IN 2015,
NORTH KOREA'S DICTATOR KIM JONG-UN ORDERED THE
DESTRUCTION OF ALL CASSETTE TAPES AND CDS THAT HAD
STATE-BANNED SONGS IN ORDER TO CONTAIN DISSENT.
WATCHING AMERICAN MOVIES OR DISTRIBUTING
PORNOGRAPHY CAN LEAD TO THE DEATH PENALTY. THERE ARE
ONLY THREE CHANNELS ON TV IN NORTH KOREA, AND ALL
CONTENT IS CONTROLLED BY THE GOVERNMENT
 IF ANYONE COMMITS
NORTH KOREAN CITIZENS CAN NOT MAKE A CRIME IN NORTH
INTERNATIONAL CALLS AS IT'S CONSIDERED KOREA, NOT ONLY HE
A CRIME THERE. ACCORDING TO REPORTS, IN OR SHE WILL BE
2007 A NORTH KOREAN FACTORY BOSS WAS PUNISHED, BUT ALSO
EXECUTED BY A FIRING SQUAD IN FRONT OF THEIR
150,000 PEOPLE AFTER BEING ACCUSED OF GRANDPARENTS,
MAKING INTERNATIONAL CALLS ON 13 PARENTS AND
CHILDREN. THIS
PHONES HE INSTALLED IN A FACTORY
TERRIBLE LAW WAS
BASEMENT.
CREATED TO
PREVENT PEOPLE
FROM ESCAPING
FROM PRISON.
 4. IN NORTH KOREA, THE BIBLE IS CONSIDERED A SYMBOL OF WESTERN
CULTURE AND IS THEREFORE PROHIBITED BECAUSE IT CAN TRANSFORM
PEOPLE. ONE CHRISTIAN WOMAN WHO WAS DISTRIBUTING THE BIBLE
WAS ARRESTED AND EXECUTED. IN 2014, JEFFREY FOWLE, AN AMERICAN
CITIZEN ON TOUR OF NORTH KOREA, WAS ARRESTED AND IMPRISONED
FOR FIVE MONTHS BECAUSE HE FORGOT THE BIBLE IN THE BATHROOM OF
A RESTAURANT AT THE CHONGJIN SAILOR'S CLUB.
 THE NORTH KOREAN CALENDAR
MILITARY SERVICE IS COMPULSORY FOR MEN (10
JUCHE IS BASED ON ITS KIM II-
YEARS) AND WOMEN (SEVEN YEARS.)
SUNG’S DATE OF BIRTH – APRIL 15,

1912.
MOTHERS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO GIVE BIRTH IF

ANYONE IS AROUND AND MUST GO INTO LABOUR

NORTH KOREA CUTS POWER EVERY
ALONE. THEY ARE NOT ALLOWED TO MEET THEIR
NIGHT DUE TO THE ENERGY CRISIS
FAMILY OR EVEN HUSBAND FOR A WEEK AFTER
IN THE COUNTRY. USING
GIVING BIRTH. IF TRIPLETS ARE BORN, THEY ARE
ELECTRICITY NEEDS PERMISSION
GIVEN TO THE STATE AS THERE ARE REPORTEDLY
AND OWNING A MICROWAVE IS
CONCERNS OVER LOW BIRTH RATE IN NORTH
ILLEGAL!
KOREA. THEY ARE RETURNED ON REACHING FOUR

YEARS OF AGE.
SCHOOL-GOING CHILDREN ARE

REQUIRED TO GET THEIR OWN

SUNDAY IS COLLECTIVE LABOUR DAY – ALL
DESKS AND CHAIRS, OTHERS ARE
CLEANING IS DONE BY HANDS AND TOOLS ARE NOT
FORCED TO DO LABOURIOUS TASKS
ALLOWED.
FOR THE GOVERNMENT.
 THE GOVERNMENT DOES NOT TOLERATE PLURALISM, BANS
INDEPENDENT MEDIA, CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS, AND TRADE
UNIONS, AND SYSTEMATICALLY DENIES ALL BASIC LIBERTIES,
INCLUDING FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, PUBLIC ASSEMBLY,
ASSOCIATION, AND RELIGION. FEAR OF COLLECTIVE PUNISHMENT
IS USED TO SILENCE DISSENT. AUTHORITIES IN NORTH KOREA
ROUTINELY SEND PERCEIVED OPPONENTS OF THE GOVERNMENT
TO SECRETIVE POLITICAL PRISON CAMPS (KWANLISO) IN REMOTE
REGIONS WHERE THEY FACE TORTURE BY GUARDS, STARVATION
RATIONS, AND FORCED LABOR.

THE GOVERNMENT SYSTEMATICALLY EXTRACTS FORCED, UNPAID

LABOR FROM ITS CITIZENS TO BUILD INFRASTRUCTURE AND
CONDUCT OTHER GOVERNMENT-ORDERED CAMPAIGNS AND
PUBLIC WORK PROJECTS. THE GOVERNMENT FAILS TO PROTECT
THE RIGHTS OF NUMEROUS AT-RISK GROUPS, INCLUDING WOMEN,
CHILDREN, AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.
 NORTH KOREA USES SONGBUN, A SOCIO-POLITICAL CLASSIFICATION
SYSTEM THAT GROUPS PEOPLE INTO “LOYAL,” “WAVERING,” OR “HOSTILE”
CLASSES, AND IS USED TO JUSTIFY POLITICALLY DETERMINED
DISCRIMINATION IN EMPLOYMENT, RESIDENCE, AND SCHOOLING.
PERVASIVE CORRUPTION ALLOWS SOME MANEUVERING AROUND THE
STRICTURES OF THE SONGBUN SYSTEM, WITH GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
ACCEPTING BRIBES TO GRANT PERMISSIONS, PERMIT CERTAIN MARKET
ACTIVITIES, OR AVOID POSSIBLE PUNISHMENTS.

IN ADDITION TO THE VIOLATIONS SUFFERED BY THE GENERAL

POPULATION, WOMEN AND GIRLS IN NORTH KOREA ARE THE TARGET OF A
RANGE OF SEXUAL AND GENDER-BASED ABUSES. GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
BOTH PERPETRATE AND FAIL TO EFFECTIVELY RESPOND TO RIGHTS
VIOLATIONS INCLUDING WIDESPREAD GENDER DISCRIMINATION, SEXUAL
AND GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE, AND CONSTANT EXPOSURE TO
STEREOTYPED GENDER ROLES.
 NORTH KOREA IS A DICTATORSHIP COUNTRY THAT HAS LIMITED
RESOURCES BUT THE PEOPLE LIVE BELOW POVERTY AND ARE
CONSTANTLY RESTRICTED FROM THE OUTSIDE WORLD. THE KIM
DYNASTY HAS ESTABLISHED A GOVERNMENT WITHOUT THE HELP
OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE UNITED NATIONS. THROUGH
THEIR GOVERNMENT, THEY HAVE LEARNED TO BE SELF-
SUFFICIENT. NORTH KOREA IS A COUNTRY WITH MANY PROBLEMS,
BUT IT IS ALSO A COUNTRY WITH UNIQUE HISTORY AND A SERIOUS
ENEMY OF THE UNITED STATES.