Even More Regular Things That are Illegal in North Korea

It doesn’t take much to get  arrested in the Hermit Kingdom. All it takes is watching the wrong thing,  or saying the wrong thing, or…smiling? Here are some more of the craziest regular  things that are illegal in North Korea.

Have you ever been in one of those work meetings  where the boss goes on, and on, and on? The next thing you know, you’re dozing off - until your  boss slams his fist on the table. In most cases, that’ll get you a dressing down in front of the  entire staff.

If you’ve done it before, it might get you fired. But in North Korea, falling  asleep in a meeting while the country’s boss, Kim Jong Un, is talking is a much more serious  affair. It can carry the death penalty, and in 2015 an unfortunate defense minister was publicly  executed with an anti-aircraft gun for dozing off.

Respect for the Kim family is  serious business in North Korea. It’s a scenario no one wants to contemplate -  what do you save in the event of a fire? That was the choice facing one unfortunate North Korean  mom in 2020, and the first thing she did was save her children from the blaze.

Unfortunately,  that left her facing jail time - because every family is required to hang a portrait of  North Korea’s founder Kim Il-Sung in their home, and allowing any harm to come to it is considered  a crime. One would think a fire counts as special circumstances - but even failing to dust it  properly can get you a visit from the police. And don’t even think about talking about these  weird rules to your friends on the internet.

That’s because the internet, as we  know it, does not exist in North Korea. Access to unfettered online communication is  strictly banned, as is any use of social media sites. The people of North Korea who have  internet access are few and far between, and civilians only have access to a very  limited number of sites under a closed system named Kwangmyong.

Estimates vary, but it’s  no more than fifty-five hundred - compared to over a billion worldwide. Unauthorized use of  the internet through Wi-Fi or private servers can result in imprisonment or even death.  Of course, this doesn’t necessarily apply to the highest reaches of North Korea’s  government - a common theme on this list.

But at least you can go for  a nice relaxing drive, right? Not so fast. Cars are scarce in North Korea for  a number of reasons - the first of which being that the country is very poor.

Very few people  can afford a car, especially with the only way foreign cars get into the country being through  smuggling. But even if someone has the money, getting that need for speed won’t be easy.  Government regulations only allow about one in one hundred people to own a car, and those  approved are only male government employees.

Women are not allowed to drive at all. Even the ones  working as the country’s famous traffic officers. It’s not the only rule that makes  moving around the country difficult.

Like all countries, North Korea has border  controls. But in most other countries, moving from state to state is easy. You don’t  need to fill up any paperwork to get approved to move from Pennsylvania to New Jersey.

But in  North Korea, everyone’s whereabouts are strictly determined by their status and relationship with  the government. This is especially significant in one area - living in the capital of Pyongyang.  The bustling city is home to the country’s elites, and anyone trying to live there unauthorized  would be subject to strict punishment.

Some of North Korea’s strange laws might actually  have some positives - at first glance at least. It probably hasn’t been too long since you skipped  an election. Maybe you thought both candidates were bums.

Maybe the incumbent was going to win  by 30 points and you just didn’t see the point. Or maybe you were just too busy binging  YouTube videos. In most countries, that’s fine - but in North Korea, elections to choose  party leaders are serious business, and anyone eighteen or over is legally required to vote.

The  problem is, North Korea is a one-party state and elections are virtually uncontested. But hey, at  least they can boast about high voter turnout. And this isn’t the only unexpected responsibility.

School in North Korea is very different than  in most countries. Not only is there a heavy dose of government training, but supplies  are lacking in the best of times. Of course, in other countries kids have to bring their own  supplies to school - things like pens and pencils, notebooks, and maybe a calculator for math class. 

But in North Korea, school kids could get into trouble if they don’t bring their own desks  or chairs to class. Not only would that not fit in the backpack, but it might be a financial  hardship to the many poor people in the country. And don’t expect too many conventional  luxuries to be readily available.

How many times a day do you use electricity  without even thinking about it? It can be as simple as flipping the light on and off when you  go to the bathroom. We don’t think of this as a luxury, but in North korea electricity is in short  supply and is strictly rationed - as is seen in a stunning viral photo of the Korean peninsula. 

It’s so bad that North Korea cuts off the power every night once the day’s business is  done, plunging people’s homes into darkness. And certain power-sapping devices like  microwaves are completely illegal to own Even expressing yourself  isn’t easy in North Korea. In most countries, getting a new haircut or  style is a traditional way of showing some harmless rebellion as a teenager.

It’s not a  phase, mom! I’m keeping my neon green mohawk! But rebellion comes with a much  higher cost, and every choice you make can arouse the ire of the state.

North  Korea has a carefully curated list of official hairstyles - eighteen for men and fifteen for  women - and any person who has an off-the-books style will be subject to interrogation  and potential arrest for disloyalty. Men aren’t supposed to keep their hair  longer than two inches - and you bet the security guards have rulers. Changing up your  hair color is also a no go, and of course, trying to mimick Kim Jong-Un’s distinctive  hairstyle will lead to sever punishment.

This next one might not be  Kim Jong-Un’s fault, exactly. It can be stressful traveling in a foreign  country, and sometimes you want a taste of familiarity. You head into the local convenience  store, look for a cold, refreshing bottle of Coca-Cola - and come up empty.

Why is the  beloved beverage not available in North Korea? The primary responsibility falls on international  sanctions that make it illegal to sell certain goods to North Korea - and Coca-Cola is considered  a luxury good. While some high-end stores might sell a varient produced in China, you can bet only  the elite are likely to get their hands on it.

This next one seems like it’s a  problem for a country in poverty. In most countries, responsible  family planning is seen as a virtue. Education about birth control is often taught  in schools - to much snickering from little boys who just learned some things and will  never look at a banana the same way again.

But in North Korea, all forms of birth  control are banned. While hormonal birth control is rarer and many people in the poor  country would have a hard time getting it, this even extends to condoms. That’s created  a small black market in the rubber business, as it’s common for adult males to get a pack as a  present if a friend can get ahold of it.

Awkward. They seem to want you to have a lot of  kids - but where are they going to stay? It’s one of the great rites of adulthood in  most countries - getting your own place for the first time.

While most people rent at  first, there’s a great sense of pride when you sign on the dotted line and buy your  first house or condo. But in North Korea, no one owns their own house and there’s  only one landlord - the state. North Korea maintains the exclusive rights to all land and  property within the country’s borders, and most people’s abode is chosen by the state.

However,  a black market in real estate in recent years has led to some laws being liberalized. Can’t  execute everyone with an aircraft gun, I guess. It’s not the only way the  government gets invasive.

We live in a digital society, and it’s bridged the  gap. For most people, calling Cousin Rudolf who lives in rural Liechtenstein is a simple task -  although it may be invasive. But for those living in North Korea, getting a word in or out can be  more difficult.

Very few people own cell phones, and those that do have their service heavily  restricted and monitored by the government. One thing that’s strictly banned? Making  phone calls outside of the country, including to neighboring countries like South  Korea or China, where many people have relatives.

Just because North Korea has neighbors  doesn’t mean they’re not a world apart. If you ask most people what they think about when  they hear “Korea” right now, they’ll probably talk about K-Pop - especially if they’re young. Bands  like BTS have swept the globe, getting a massive number of adoring fans in countless countries  - except one.

Kim Jong-Un has maintained his father’s ban on western media - and that includes  popular music from their next-door neighbor. But don’t worry, North Korean music lovers, you  can attend concerts from his hand-picked bands. They typically mimic the fashion and style of the  outside bands - but with a strong political bent.

At least you can probably watch TV, right? Not quite. While your hotel in the tourist sector  might have a TV, don’t expect to keep up on your favorite shows or watch some Wheel of Fortune. 

North Korean TVs only have four approved TV stations, all either showing government propaganda  or approved entertainment from the country. The TVs run on a closed network, so don’t even think  about trying to pick up some unapproved channels - being in possession of outside entertainment  can be a capital crime in North Korea. And there’s one device, in particular,  you shouldn’t expect to find.

Are you one of those tech jockeys who can’t  stand to be without your iPhone for too long? You probably shouldn’t be planning a trip to  North Korea. Not only is the use of outside devices restricted within the country, but it’s  a double whammy for Apple lovers.

The powerhouse tech company is prohibited from selling or  supplying any of their expensive gadgets to North Korea due to the US sanctions against  the Hermit Kingdom. So the only people with these devices are the leadership, who always  seem to be able to smuggle them in somehow. It’s not the only familiar sight  you’ll miss in North Korea.

It’s a common pastime of tourists - they miss  home, so they seek out something new and familiar. Sure, the locals may sneer at the Americans  eating McDonalds in the middle of Paris, but no one’s stopping them. In North  Korea, though, most western chains are banned.

Not only does Kim Jong-Un not  want Western influence in the country, but sanctions keep many businesses out. That  means you won’t be able to get that Big Mac Attack cured in North Korea, nor will you be  able to get your favorite Frap at Starbucks. So what do North Koreans do for  entertainment anyway?

The answer is…not much. When North Korea launched nuclear tests in  2017, countries around the world responded by tightening sanctions. North Korea’s response  was to make sure their public couldn’t express any negative feelings about this downturn in  their economy…by instituting a ban on singing or drinking in public.

The ban targeted public  gatherings where people could get out of control and start letting their true feelings about  the regime fly. Better to keep that behind closed doors, after all. It’s not like the  government should know what the people think.

It’s not even easy to get the news in North Korea. In other countries, if you want to find out what  happened on a certain day, you look up that paper in the library or on a website. But in North  Korea, newspapers are treated more like state secrets.

You can’t go back into the archives -  and you can’t even buy one to take home. Like many North Korean policies, this might be due to  the government wanting to maintain strict control of the flow of information - and not have anything  exist to contradict them. So how do you read the newspaper in North Korea?

They’re put on display  in subway stations, and people gather around public boards to get a look. I wonder what North  Korean Garfield will be up to in the comics pages… Not even the normal holidays we celebrate  are the same in the Hermit Kingdom. North Korea is an officially atheist  country, with a ban on all religions and a state-sponsored mythology surrounding the  Kim family.

Owning religious paraphernalia is banned - but this even extends to some things  that are considered secular by many people now. Most notably - don’t even think about  owning a Christmas tree. In fact, nothing related to the world-famous holiday is  allowed in North Korea.

So watch out, Rudolph. Stay in colder climates, Frosty. North Korea’s  got all of you on their own personal naughty list.

With rules like this, people must  be heading for the exits, right? Not so fast. While in most countries, traveling  abroad might be an easy affair - at least before 2020.

If your passport was in order, you could  just hop across the border to Cancun for some R&R and be back the next day. But getting out of North  Korea for citizens is a much more arduous affair, bordering on impossible. It’s illegal  to emigrate from the Hermit Kingdom, and the line between North Korea and  South Korea is a heavily guarded DMZ.

So the most common way people escape is  through the northern broder shared with China. Few make it, many are killed - but those  who do survive become an invaluable source of information for the rest of the  world about the isolated kingdom. Meanwhile, some rules apply only to tourists.

Like most countries, North Korea has its own  currency, the North Korean Won. Unlike many other currencies, it doesn’t have much of a counterfeit  problem - because it’s not allowed to be brought in or out of the country. It’s only for internal  use, and they take its secrecy seriously.

So seriously, that it may be the only currency in  the world that tourists aren’t allowed to use. Tourists have to use the currency of their  home country, usually Dollars, Euros, or Chinese money. And don’t even think of trying  to get some Won out of the country as a souvenir.

Guess you’re stuck. Better make the  best of it. How about a game of B-ball?

Just make sure you know the rules, because  basketball as you know it is illegal in North Korea. Kim Jong-Un likes to separate himself  from Western ways as much as possible, and he’s even gone so far as to change the  rules of the game in some bizarre ways. Not only do slam dunks now carry an extra bonus  point, but the game speeds up massively at the end with shots going from two points to eight  points in the last three minutes of the game.

And watch your aim - teams lose a point  if a player misses three shots in a row. It doesn’t take much to stand out  as an outsider in North Korea. Sometimes all it takes is getting  the date of the year wrong.

That’s right, North Korea even has its own  calendar. While much of the world goes by the standard Gregorian calendar, and some cultures  like China and Israel go by ancient traditions where the new year starts at a different  date, North Korea uses the Juche calendar, one which starts at a unique point - April  15th, 1912. That’s the date that Kim Il-Sung, the founder of the Juche system, was born -  so if you’re paying a visit to North Korea, it’s probably best not to wish  anyone a happy April Fool’s Day.

If there’s one thing that defines North Korea,  it’s that they take their leadership seriously. One of the strictest rules in North Korea is that  any sort of insult towards Kim Jong-Un or the rest of the Kim clan is considered the highest of  crimes. In the US, it’s common to see people on Twitter openly insulting the President as  he tries to lay out policy - and he used to insult back!

But in North Korea, something  as simple as calling the Supreme Leader fat can get you sent to a labor camp, and this  applies whether you’re a citizen or a guest. Attempted theft of an in-room poster  was enough to get an American tourist arrested and sentenced to hard labor, where  he later sustained fatal injuries in 2017. And it’s not the only way patriotism is compelled.

Universal national service isn’t unusual  in countries around the world. The United States drafted soldiers in multiple wars, and in  countries like Israel and South Korea they have a universal draft. But few make it harder to get  out of the draft than North Korea - and few demand more from their young soldiers.

North Korean  mandatory service applies to both men and women, and ranges from seven to ten years. Most of these  soldiers will wind up serving the government, but many may be sent to the harsh DMZ region,  where war is just one wrong move away. And it’s not the only time  your fate isn’t in your hands.

How do most people in other countries choose their  profession? It’s either after an exhaustive look at possible majors they want to learn about - or  it’s by scanning the want ads to find something that pays enough. But in either case, they make a  choice.

Not in North Korea, where the government will typically choose someone’s profession for  them based on their aptitude shown in school and where the government needs them, as well  as their family’s stature. For those who object to their assignment, there’s usually  another one waiting for them - forced labor. For women in North Korea,  things can be especially dicey.

It’s taken for granted by women in most countries  - although purchasing them can be awkward when dad or the boyfriend gets sent instead. But not  only will sanitary products for that time of the month be available, but there’ll likely be a wide  selection of them in comforting pastel colors. However, if a tourist is expecting to need  sanitary products while in North Korea, she should take a healthy supply and hope  security lets her keep them.

These products aren’t available in North Korea, mostly due  to lack of supplies for disposable products, and most women use washable sanitary pads instead. It’s not the only case where women  have fewer options in North Korea. Reproductive freedom is strictly curtailed in  North Korea - as the contraband condoms probably made clear.

But it goes further than that, due  to Kim Jong-Un’s obsession with the women of North Korea producing more socialist soldiers.  Abortion is totally banned in North Korea, but the restrictions don’t end there.  Women are required to give birth alone, and are kept from meeting their husband  for a week after birth.

And it’s common for children to be taken by the state  for training or adoption if the mother is deemed to be undesirable or the children are  multiples. Like most other things in North Korea, children are often considered to be  the collective property of the state. And don’t expect flowers either, mom.

Mother’s Day, a popular  holiday all around the world, at first seems like one brief dose of normalcy in  North Korea. The holiday was introduced in 2012 and became popular with the public - and that  couldn’t stand. First the government decided it should honor all mothers, including the  metaphysical mother of the Workers’ Party, which they commonly call the Mother Party. 

The holiday became increasingly focused on celebrating the party instead of mom, and now  it’s prohibited to send personal messages to your mother that day when you could be celebrating  the deceased members of the Kim family instead. Sometimes, things get weird on  one specific day of the week. Sunday funday, right?

Not so much in North  Korea. While the weekend may be sacred for many workers in the rest of the world, things  are very different in the Hermit Kingdom. While the day is officially a day off from  standard jobs, it’s also known as a collective labor day.

That means workers are often assigned  to complete large-scale jobs like paving sidewalks and cleaning up trash. Making this worse, all  cleaning must be done without the use of tools. And don’t even think about calling in sick -  the boss has a pretty strict attendance policy.

But one day probably holds  the biggest risk for people. Don’t smile. Don’t even think about it.

Does  thinking about it make you want to smile? Imagine if for one day a year, smiling  was considered a crime against the state. That’s the law in North Korea every July  8th, the anniversary of Kim Il-Sung’s death.

Both the birthday and death day of the Juche  founder are seen as holy days in North Korea, and any sense of frivolity on the latter  is seen as a sign of a lack of mourning. It’s prohibited to smile in public or even  talk too loudly, and the police have their eyes open for anyone who doesn’t seem to be  mourning the departed leader sincerely enough. But one banned item in North  Korea made national news in 2021.

It was the Korean TV show seen around  the world - Squid Game. Influenced by classics like Battle Royale, the South Korean  drama became a sensation for its tense plot, which saw ordinary citizens competing in a  series of twisted life-or-death games for a chance at fortune. Not only did people love seeing  classic children’s games turned into deathtraps when it streamed worldwide on Netflix, but many  people praised its incisive look at the failings of South Korea’s capitalist economy and how  it leaves many of its poorer citizens behind.

Anti-capitalist satire? North  Korea probably loves this show! The bent of the show, condemning South  Korea’s secular capitalist culture as decadent and harmful to the poor, might have  met with Kim Jong-Un’s approval.

After all, it’s pretty common for the leadership  in the country to get ahold of western media and luxury goods through smuggling. But  for the general public is a different story, and the country is under a tighter lockdown than  ever when it comes to foreign media. In 2020, the country passed the Elimination of  Reactionary Thought and Culture Act, which banned the importation of foreign  media.

And that includes South Korean dramas. A few people found that out the hard way. According to Radio Free Asia, a late 2021  attempt to bring Squid Game to North Korea ended in tragedy when authorities found high school  students watching the show.

The source of the leak was traced to a smuggler who managed to bring in  hard drives from China. He was sentenced to death by firing squad, the student who bought the flash  drive was given a sentence of life imprisonment, and five other students who simply watched the  show were sent to a labor camp for five years. But that doesn’t mean the Hermit Kingdom  has no use for the show.

A propaganda site described Squid Game as “Depicting the sad  reality of a beastly South Korean society”. So they’re in favor of the message - just  don’t think about trying to watch it. Want to know more about this  strange country?

Watch “What Is it REALLY Like Living in North Korea? ”.