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Data protection & privacy law in North Korea (2026)

Data protection in North Korea: no framework.

North Korea has no personal-data protection law and no data-protection authority. While the constitution formally references privacy of correspondence and the home, the state systematically monitors phone calls, text messages, emails and other communications and conducts warrantless searches of phones and storage devices. The legal framework is oriented toward state control of information rather than protecting individuals' personal data.

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Legal framework

No comprehensive or sectoral personal-data protection law. The DPRK Constitution nominally guarantees privacy of correspondence (Art. 17 'inviolability of the person and the home and privacy of correspondence'), but there is no data-protection statute, no data-subject rights regime, and no independent supervisory authority. State practice is governed instead by control/surveillance laws (Law on Protection of State Secrets; the 2020 Law on Rejecting Reactionary Ideology and Culture) enforced by the Ministry of State Security.

Key points: data & privacy in North Korea

  1. No data-protection law or authority

    There is no comprehensive or sector-specific personal-data protection statute and no independent supervisory/data-protection authority. Citizens have no legal mechanism to consent to, access, correct, or contest the state's collection and use of their personal data.

    2021-2025.state.gov

  2. Constitutional privacy not respected in practice

    The DPRK Constitution provides for inviolability of the person and home and privacy of correspondence, but the U.S. State Department reports the government does not respect these provisions and routinely monitors correspondence, telephone calls, emails, and text messages.

    hrnk.org 2021-2025.state.gov

  3. Pervasive state surveillance

    A September 2025 UN Human Rights Office report found surveillance of the population has become even more pervasive since the 2014 Commission of Inquiry, aided by new technology, with more laws and practices subjecting citizens to increased monitoring and control in all areas of life.

    ohchr.org

  4. Warrantless device searches

    House-to-house inspections and street checks search mobile phones, storage devices and printed material without warrants to detect 'anti-socialist' content; domestic mobile devices run state-controlled operating systems that log activity and restrict files.

    monitor.civicus.org 2021-2025.state.gov

  5. Control-oriented legislation, not protection

    Laws such as the 2020 Law on Rejecting Reactionary Ideology and Culture criminalize possession/distribution of foreign media and unsanctioned phones (penalties up to death), reflecting a framework aimed at information control rather than safeguarding personal data.

    en.wikipedia.org 2021-2025.state.gov

  6. Enforcement body is the security apparatus

    Monitoring and enforcement are carried out by the Ministry of State Security and related organs without independent oversight or judicial review; there is no regulator whose mandate is protecting personal data.

    ohchr.org

Sources

  1. 2021-2025.state.gov/reports/2023-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/north-korea/
  2. hrnk.org/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/nkhr-resource-center/DPRK_Constitution.pdf
  3. ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/09/dprk-un-report-finds-10-years-increased-suf
  4. ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2014/02/north-korea-un-commission-documents-wide-ra
  5. monitor.civicus.org/explore/north-korea-laws-used-to-crack-down-on-access-to-foreign-medi
  6. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship_in_North_Korea

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Orientation, not legal advice: verify against the primary sources linked above. Last verified 24 May 2026. Methodology & how to cite · State of Technology Regulation 2026