Family
A published family code operating within a songbun class system
The Family Law sets marriage ages and provides for divorce through the courts. In practice marriage and family life are heavily shaped by the songbun social classification.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — Registration and divorce are handled through people's committees and courts.
Governing law
- Family Law of the DPRK1990
- Law on the Protection of Women's Rights2010
In practice
The published code provides for monogamous marriage, joint marital property and divorce on the application of either spouse. Songbun, the inherited political-loyalty classification, is reported to influence permission to marry, place of residence and access to education and employment, which has no basis in the published text. UN human rights bodies have documented forced abortion and infanticide affecting women repatriated from China, and sexual violence by officials with no effective remedy. Reported practice therefore diverges sharply from the statute.