12 Things That Are Illegal In North Korea - Updated 2024

1. Foreign movies and K-Pop songs

The ban on foreign movies and K-pop music (and drama) is primarily a result of the government’s stringent control over information and culture. The regime, led by Kim Jong-un, seeks to maintain its ironclad grip on the population’s ideology and values. Foreign movies and K-pop represent a direct challenge to the North Korean society. They introduce different lifestyles, values, and influences that could undermine the regime’s efforts to influence the population’s loyalty to their country.

By prohibiting foreign entertainment, the government aims to preserve its tight hold on the nation’s identity, reinforcing loyalty to the North Korean state and preventing exposure to alternative perspectives and influences.

2. Extreme hairstyles

Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing

While technically not illegal, crazy hairstyles are not encouraged in North Korea. The government tightly controls the choices of permissible haircuts for its citizens. While exact guidelines may change periodically, there have been reports of state-approved styles for men and women. Men are typically allowed shorter, more conservative cuts, while women may choose from a limited selection of approved hairstyles, often discouraging overly long or extravagant options.

These regulations on haircuts in North Korea are enforced to promote conformity and prevent citizens from adopting styles that could be seen as Western or symbolize individualism. The strict hair regulations reflect the government’s desire for homogeneity and control over personal expression among its population.

3. Western fashion

Since 2016, there has been a complete ban on western attire in the country, including something as common as jeans! In a move to crackdown on Western culture seeping into the country, the supreme leader, Kim Jong-un, banned everything from western attire to body piercing, in the country. In fact, blue jeans are specifically banned as they stand for world imperialism. The idea was to target supposed tendencies of capitalism like clothes, hairstyles, t-shirts, length of skirts, etc. In fact, people who didn’t fall in line with the dress code were, and are still, sent to labor camps.

4. Coca - Cola

There are only two world countries where Coca-Cola can be neither officially sold nor purchased - one is Cuba and the other is North Korea. A trade embargo imposed on the brand makes it next to impossible to get a decent bottle of coke in the country. However, if you head to Pyongyang, you’ll spot upscale shops selling iconic white-and-red labeled bottles that are not the real thing. Plus, it is not hard to find China-produced coke in the relatively affluent Pyongyang either.

5. Sanitary pads

When it comes to menstruation, women do not exactly jump with joy. That being said, they have tons of options to choose from today, right from the ubiquitous pads to tampons to the eco-friendly cups. However, North Korean women do not have access to the most basic product available to menstruating women across the world - sanitary pads.

In North Korea, there is a rule for ladies to utilize non-disposable pads when it’s that time of the month. Women make or buy white cotton sanitary napkins that need to be washed and used again. While there is a locally made, premium, disposable sanitary napkin called Daedong River, it is quite expensive for most North Korean women.

6. Condoms

Did you know that condoms are a very popular gift item in North Korea? That’s because the country has banned all kinds and sorts of birth control, so getting a condom is next to impossible. Most of the condoms are brought in by businessmen returning from China. In addition to banning birth control, the North Korean supreme leader has also banned abortions, both in a bid to augment the country’s birth rate to produce more ‘socialist workers’. In fact, gynecologists and doctors who offer any birth control options and/or devices to North Korean locals are liable to be punished.

7. Designer Shoes

Prada, Manolo Blahniks, Gucci - you might as well forget all these names if you’re in North Korea, for the Hermit Kingdom has banned the sale and use of designer shoes bearing these names in the country. Except for the regions that border China where there might be Chinese-made heels, pumps, and shoes for sale, you’re out of luck in the rest of the country. That being said, there is an active black market in North Korea for many Western-made shoes, bags, clothes, and more.

8. Christmas trees

Celebrating the yuletide season is also among the things that you can’t do in North Korea. The country hasn’t officially celebrated Christmas for more than 70 years. In fact, since 2017, the festival of cheer has been banned altogether. This is because North Korea is officially atheist, with all kinds of religious practices either heavily monitored or forbidden by the Kim Jong Un government. One can be jailed, tortured, or even condemned to death for celebrating Christmas.

So, one can neither buy nor possess any Christmas decorations like Christmas trees. Instead, the people have been ordered to pay tribute to Kim Jong Un’s grandmother on December 24th, which is her birthday.

9. Starbucks

If you’re craving a tall glass of Starbucks signature iced coffee after indulging in some of the traditional foods in North Korea, well, you’ll have to wait to get back home and drink it, for there is no Starbucks in Pyongyang or anywhere else in the country.

According to North Korean government propaganda, Starbucks is pretty much Yankee imperialist no-no. While it might have something to do with sanctions, but good luck getting anyone to talk about that. That being said, one of the most famous coffee shops in Pyongyang is the Ryongwang Coffee Shop which, funnily enough, will remind you of Starbucks! Don’t say that out loud, though.

10. Talking to locals or taking photos of them

If getting up close and personal with locals is a favorite activity of yours, you might want to refrain from doing so when visiting North Korea. While no one has been jailed or executed for talking to a foreigner (yet), the special service representatives will certainly land on their doorstep. So, don’t be surprised if someone that you try to talk to or take a photo of runs away from you; it’s their way of staying out of trouble. Technically, it is ‘forbidden’ in North Korea to take photos of any of the surroundings or the locals. More often than not, its the guide accompanying foreigners who will stop them.

11. Apple products

There’s a strict restriction on the sale of any kind of hi-tech, modern device in North Korea, so you won’t be seeing a single iPad or an iPhone with any local. That being said, Kim Jong Un is rumored to own a genuine Apple product and has a certain fondness for them. However, they’re strictly off-limits to the public since no one can afford a smartphone of any kind anyway.

While foreign gadgets are one of the things that are not allowed in North Korea, the country does have its own tablet PC as well as a smartphone that looks suspiciously enough like an iPhone. Plus, the latest version of the local OS ‘Red Star’ looks very much like the MacOS X. Moreover, users can only connect these devices to the government-run intranet ‘Mirae’.

12. Sports cars

Due to sanctions from the European Union and the United Nations that ban high-end luxury goods to the country, it’s almost impossible for North Koreans to buy a sports car. In fact, this ban has been in place since as far back as 2013. So, you won’t see a Mercedes-Benz or an Audi on the roads of Pyongyang. However, it is rumored that Kim Jong-un has gotten his hands on a Mercedes-Benz armored car in open defiance to the ban.

Banned items in North Korea

While they may seem regular in the rest of the world, the items on the list above are a definite no-no in the iron curtain-esque, buttoned-up North Korea. While there might be a burgeoning black market in this closed Asian country, you will certainly not find any of these items out in the open or being flaunted about openly.