Things You Should Never Do In North Korea

North Korea is perhaps the most secretive country in the world. Ruled by the Kim family since the end of the Korean War in the 1950s, these days the dictatorship is probably most famous for threatening to launch nuclear warheads at various countries. However, because of the lack of information that makes its way outside of North Korea's borders, as well as the fact they are seen as one of the most evil regimes in the world, some very strange rumors appear in the news from time to time about what things visitors or citizens must or must not do — often, allegedly, on pain of death. 

It can be hard to tell what crazy rumors are just made up and which ones are government policy because, well, North Korea has any number of absurd and freedom-restricting rules. The regime is always adding new ones — even if they contradict previous pronouncements — until it seems like doing anything at all inside its borders must be second-guessed. This is, of course, rather the point. It is hard for a population to rebel against their dictator when they are worried every morning whether the clothes they put on could get them thrown in jail, even if they were acceptable the day before.

Whether you are planning to go for a relaxing vacation or somehow find yourself trapped in the country long-term, here are just a few of the things you should never do in North Korea.

Can you travel to North Korea? Yes, some travelers like a bit of existential terror with their vacations and travel to North Korea by choice. In fact, there are enough tourists who want to go that several companies based in North Korea work with outside partners to bring groups in. However, this is not like visiting France or even China. Once you land in North Korea, your travel itinerary will be heavily controlled. The regime will only let you see what they want you to see, and it is a very bad idea to try to strike out on your own. For example, it's possible to see places outside Pyongyang, but only if the exact locations have been approved beforehand. Once you arrive in the country, your schedule is set in stone.

Every group is accompanied by two high-status North Korean guides. While they are not spies in the technical sense, they are there at least partially to make sure groups do what they are supposed to and don't try to get involved in any activities that have not been pre-approved. The government can't control everything these guides say to tour groups, but there is an official line they are supposed to stick to — not doing so could be dangerous for them as well.

Tourists have been detained in the past for minor infractions, such as not declaring a book they brought with them from home. So if you do visit, be extremely careful to do exactly what your tour group tells you to, down to the smallest detail.

The ruling Kim family has an iron grip on North Korea. First it was Kim Il Sung, then Kim Jong Il, and now Kim Jong Un, who controls 25 million people with dictatorial powers. But even though the first two men are long dead, that doesn't mean they are given any less respect than when they were in charge. 

To disrespect the Kims, even accidentally, can mean a long prison term or even death. While those living in democracies are used to being able to say what they really feel about politicians, in North Korea, even creasing a piece of paper with an image of one of the Kims on it is a major sign of disrespect for the regime. And considering that images of the various men are literally everywhere, this gives the population ample opportunities to be arrested for the tiniest mistake.

It doesn't matter how important you are, either. In 2016, Kim Jong Un executed his deputy premier, Kim Yong Jin. This was not that shocking, as officials are executed in North Korea on a fairly regular basis. At the same time as Kim Yong Jin was detained, two others were arrested as well and faced severe punishments. However, it was the crime of which Kim Yong Jin was accused that was one of the more surprising things that could get you executed in North Korea. Information leaked out that he had sat in a disrespectful way during a meeting with Kim Jong Il, either slouching or possibly nodding off. For this, he was arrested and executed.

According to the U.S. State Department, technically, North Korea has freedom of religion. In reality, it has nothing of the sort. While the country's constitution does mention religious freedom, it has a pretty big caveat: "...religion must not be used as a pretext for drawing in foreign forces or for harming the State or social order." Since the regime gets to decide if that rule has been broken, any proselytizing in the country is incredibly dangerous. 

This is one of the common crimes that tourists are arrested for. You are allowed to bring a personal Bible into the country, but it must be declared and you cannot so much as show it to a citizen of North Korea. Some churches do exist in the country, although their activities are closely watched by the government. Allegedly, they are mostly there for tourists to visit, which allows the regime to "prove" there is religious freedom in their country. In reality, people are expected to snitch on anyone they think is practicing a religion in secret, including their own family members.

Jang Moon Seok wasn't even in North Korea when he committed the arrestable offense of proselytizing. He was just over the border in China, but the regime had heard he was giving religious instruction to North Koreans who escaped through that route. So he was kidnapped and then sentenced to 15 years in prison for, among other things, "providing aid and gospel to North Koreans" (via The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom).

It's not illegal to own a phone or make calls in North Korea, but if you try to contact the outside world, that is a very different story. In fact, for most people there, it's not even possible. As of 2016, there were 3 million North Koreans using the domestic telecom service, but Kim Jong Un was cracking down especially hard on anyone caught making international calls. Talking to someone outside of North Korea could mean dangerous ideas were getting into the country over the phone lines. 

Technically, it's not the international calls themselves that are against the law, but the fact that it requires a cellphone or SIM card smuggled in from China. This allows anyone close enough to the Chinese border to connect to their telecom system and get around the block on international dialing in North Korea.

The biggest concern for the regime seems to be that family members will contact relatives who have escaped to China or South Korea. Escaping North Korea is difficult and dangerous, so calling loved ones is probably the only way they will ever speak to them again. In one incident in 2023, a woman was caught making a call to one of her children who had fled North Korea. Not only was she immediately arrested, but at least three family members who were not involved with the call at all were also dragged from their home. Neighbors said this was the regime trying to send a message and crack down on unauthorized international calls.

Like all men, Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il eventually died. This means that every year, their loyal subjects are forced to mourn the late dictators' passing. As of 2021, Kim Il Sung's was a week long, while his son's was longer at 10 days since he had died more recently (it was 11 days that year in honor of the 10th anniversary of Kim Jong Il's death). That means that for around 17 days of the year, there are strict limitations on what the population can do and even the feelings they can express.

No matter what joyous event might occur during those two periods, people can only show appropriate displays of mourning and the police are on the lookout for anyone breaking the rules. Getting caught drinking alcohol can result in people being disappeared. Laughing, enjoying a fun hobby, celebrating a birthday, and even grocery shopping are either not allowed or limited during these times. 

But it is not just happy emotions that can get a person in trouble. What if someone you love died during the official mourning periods for the late rulers? Since you are only allowed to show grief for the death of the Kims, you better not be seen crying over your dead friend or relative. And you aren't allowed to bury or cremate them until the mourning periods are over, either.

The rules around what media one can consume in North Korea are especially confusing and constantly changing. Of course, like with everything foreign, watching shows or films from abroad is illegal. In 2021, a man who smuggled the international South Korean hit series "Squid Game" into North Korea was sentenced to death, while the punishment for the seven students who watched the show ranged from life imprisonment to years of hard labor. In 2024, North Korea banned several shows and films from China, even though they consider that country an ally, and up until that point their media had never been considered a threat to the regime.

But it doesn't stop there: North Korea has even been known to ban their own films. The 2024 film "72 Hours" was a surprisingly high-quality production that parroted the North's version of the beginning of the Korean War. It became a relative blockbuster in the country, only to be banned five months later. Students and officials who were caught watching it after that were kicked out of school or lost their jobs, and one was sentenced to hard labor.

Even a North Korean documentary about the wife of Kim Jong Il and mother of Kim Jong Un was eventually banned over a decade after it was released. "Mother of Great Songun Korea" was not exactly a deep dive into the life of Ko Yong Hui, since it never even used her real name. But in 2024, officials started confiscating copies of the documentary.

Like the U.K. and the U.S., North and South Korea are two countries separated by the same language. Since international media is almost all banned in North Korea, especially anything from South Korea, one of the easiest ways to accidentally tell on yourself in the North is to use slang or phrases from the South. This is no small crime, either. After the Pyongyang Cultural Language Protection Act was passed in 2023, even being accused of influencing someone else to use a South Korean phrase can result in punishment, and smugglers of South Korean media can be executed. 

There are a wide variety of words that are not allowed, everything from using the wrong term of endearment for your spouse to using South Korean versions of English loanwords. Police can even stop people on the street to make sure their text messages do not include any illegal phrases. In 2023, 20 young athletes who were caught on video using banned South Korean words were publicly shamed and sentenced to 3 to 5 years of hard labor.

This is why it was shocking to North Koreans when their dictator gave a speech in which he used some of these very words. While speaking to flood victims in 2024, Kim Jong Un used multiple words and phrases that are only common in South Korea, not his own country.

Karaoke might not seem like a sneaky way for foreign countries to bring down the North Korean dictatorship, but apparently, it is. Despite karaoke being from Japan originally and not South Korea, it is seen as too closely related to that old enemy, as well as being too capitalistic. Or at least, it has been since 2024, when sources told Radio Free Asia that the formerly popular pastime was suddenly banned.

"Music machines are a necessity for most restaurants these days to attract customers and restaurants are shocked by the sudden notice," an anonymous source told RFA. "Recently, the party is labeling everything, this, that, and the other, as anti-socialist. The authorities say that the use of the music machine itself is part of puppet culture and a dangerous toxin that paralyzes the ideological and mental spirit of the people."

Apparently, the reason for the unexpected ban was a single incident where some workers ditched their assignments to go eat at a karaoke restaurant. For that, all similar restaurants were forced to shut, not merely get to rid of the karaoke machines. The owners of the eateries were also informed they would never be allowed to operate any kind of restaurant again. 

North Koreans love music. They have no choice, considering that North Koreans in Pyongyang are woken up by the same song every morning: the patriotic anthem "Where are You, Dear General?" Other propaganda songs are on repeat almost as often, like the 2024 banger that the country was reportedly getting really sick of hearing, "Friendly Father." So you can see why the people might seek out foreign music for something a bit different (after all, North Korea has only had one known death metal band).

Since virtually everything from South Korea is banned, it's no surprise their music is, too. But this isn't just K-pop we're talking about here; in 2024, Kim Jong Un announced that the music of his own father's favorite singer, Kim Yeon Ja, was now illegal to listen to. Kim Jong Il enjoyed the South Korean singer's music so much that he invited her to perform in the North in 2001. She became a favorite of the rest of the country as well, only to be banned decades later for no clear reason.

The North Korean regime also sometimes bans its own music. Many propaganda songs in the country refer to the goal of being reunified with South Korea — but in 2024, the regime decided reunification was bad. In response, more than 100 of these patriotic songs were banned.

One of the things you can't buy in North Korea are jeans — these leg covers are seen as indicative of the decadence of the capitalist West. But that's just the beginning of the many, many fashion dos and don'ts that North Koreans are forced to deal with. Thanks to the Rejection of Reactionary Thought and Culture Law, any number of popular and common clothing choices that the rest of the world wears every day are considered harmful to the North Korean regime. These include sleeveless shirts, transparent sleeves, and uncreased trousers. Shorts are allowed for men, but women have a length restriction if they wear them: the garments cannot be above the knee. One North Korean claimed they saw 10 women arrested for shorts violations at one time. For men, the biggest no-no is trying to look like Kim Jong Un, in particular by paying homage to his wide trousers and leather trench coat.

Hair is another minefield. Hair dye is verboten, as are specific styles of cut for both men and women. Women cannot have hair below their waists or the "rooster" style (a high ponytail with sweeping bangs). Men, like with their clothes, cannot copy Kim Jong Un's iconic haircut.

Even fashion that is allowed can be done "wrong." Carrying a large bag is fine — as long as you hold it in both hands. Using a shoulder strap is considered a South Korean way of lugging things around.

Everyone is aware smoking is bad for you by now, but some people still take it up. Smoking in North Korea is still quite common, but women complain that smoking bans tend to only apply to them and not to men. Among North Korea's many problems is the fact that women in the country are held to harsh standards and suffer mightily under both the patriarchal regime and society at large. The smoking double standard is far from the worst of these issues, but it is a very obvious (and smelly) example.

Smoking in certain areas (like in hospitals and on public transportation) was originally limited in 2005, but in 2020 this was expanded to most public spaces. The new law was clear that there would be punishments for infractions, but according to what sources in North Korea told Radio Free Asia, it's only women who have to worry about getting in trouble for flouting the ban. "Even if the authorities try to [enforce a ban], it doesn't stop men from smoking, but recently they are catching women smoking too. The authorities have been cracking down since early this month as more and more women smoke [in public], mainly in the city," a woman told RFA. She added that she had seen women get fined for smoking in restaurants, with the financial penalty increasing every time.

Meanwhile, Kim Jong Un regularly appears in public smoking cigarettes.