North Korea · Legislation
Legislation and primary sources
Where to find the authoritative text of the law in North Korea, and how to confirm it is still in force.
Sources of law, ranked
- The Socialist Constitution
- Interpreted by the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, not by courts.
- Laws and ordinances of the Supreme People's Assembly
- Selectively published; several compilations circulate only in Korean.
- Decisions of the State Affairs Commission and Cabinet
- Subordinate instruments carrying substantial practical force.
- Party policy and the leader's instructions
- Operate above published law in practice; the Party's leading role is constitutional.
- Special zone statutes
- Separate investment, labour and dispute rules apply inside Rason and the other designated zones.
The legislative process
The Supreme People's Assembly meets for one or two short sessions a year and adopts legislation without recorded dissent. Its Presidium exercises legislative power between sessions by issuing ordinances and decisions, which is the route by which most law is in fact made. Drafts are prepared within the Cabinet and Party organs; there is no published consultation process, no committee scrutiny in any meaningful sense, and no mechanism for public comment.
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