North Korea has implemented legal prohibitions against importing American cigarettes, Coca-Cola, and other U.S. products.
Daily NK recently obtained the full text of the “Customs Law Implementation Regulations” enacted in 2022.
Article 3 of these regulations details prohibited imports, notably including “American cigarettes, Coca-Cola, denim fabric and products made from it.” However, the regulations specify an exception: “excluding those carried by foreigners.”
While North Korea explicitly prohibits imports of these symbols of American capitalism and consumer culture—cigarettes, cola, and denim fabric used for jeans—they appear to avoid excessive control over items personally possessed by foreigners.
However, reports indicate that carbonated beverages labeled “Coca-Cola” are being sold within North Korea, suggesting the country may be importing these products through alternative channels or selling products that appropriate the name.
Article 3 also prohibits importing: ▲materials that could damage national authority ▲binoculars ▲long-distance recording devices ▲military items ▲printed materials that could negatively impact the country’s political, economic, military, cultural development or social order ▲products made in countries or regions banned from trade.
Article 4 specifically details prohibited export items.
These include: ▲items and materials that could damage national authority ▲materials and documents classified as state secrets ▲North Korean won currently circulating within the country. Tourists should note that attempting to take North Korean currency out of the country as souvenirs could violate customs law.
The prohibited items listed in the regulations suggest North Korean authorities are concerned not only about external information entering the country but also internal information leaving it. These regulations function beyond simple customs rules, serving as a means to maintain the regime by blocking information flow.
Some items may be imported or exported with special approval from relevant authorities.
According to Article 5, electronic and radio equipment—including computers and components, drones, wireless communication devices, wireless transmitters/receivers, wired/wireless combined telephones and components, and electronic storage media—requires approval from the National Radio Supervision Agency. Precious metals like gold, silver, and platinum for export must receive quality verification from the Central Bank.
Meanwhile, Article 2 of North Korea’s Customs Law Implementation Regulations specifies enforcement measures available to customs officials: detention, seizure, and confiscation.
“Detention” is defined as temporarily holding items, currency, or transport means that cannot be approved for border crossing. “Seizure” involves customs temporarily possessing items, currency, or transport means to investigate customs law violations. “Confiscation” means forcibly transferring items, currency, or transport means to the national treasury.
Regarding this, the regulations specify (Article 43) that goods will be confiscated for smuggling activities. Acts considered smuggling (Article 44) include ▲importing or exporting goods through routes without customs checkpoints ▲transferring or diverting goods that haven’t undergone customs inspection to other agencies or individuals.
