Alcohol regulations in North Korea

Licences needed

not confirmed

Authority

Ministry of Light Industry / Cabinet of the DPRK

Documents

not confirmed

Fees

not confirmed

Time to obtain

not confirmed

Who can import

Designated state foreign trade companies under the Ministry of External Economic Relations and state leadership trading organs (e.g., Office 39 affiliated entities)

Licences or registrations

State foreign trade license and import quota allocation

Authority

Ministry of External Economic Relations

Documents

not confirmed

Fees

not confirmed

Time to obtain

not confirmed

Required

not confirmed

Process

Administered internally by state technical and quality oversight organs for state-produced goods; no open commercial registration process for foreign products

Authority

National Quality Management Commission / State Administration for Quality Management

Documents and samples

not confirmed

Fees

not confirmed

Renewal

not confirmed

Time to obtain

not confirmed

Imports are subject to a strict state foreign trade monopoly. Furthermore, United Nations Security Council Resolution 1718 (2006) and subsequent multilateral sanctions classify distilled spirits and alcoholic beverages as luxury goods, prohibiting UN member states from exporting them to North Korea; international trade is restricted primarily to bilateral state channels (notably China and Russia) or state-sponsored covert procurement.

not confirmed

not confirmed

State-operated retail outlets, foreign-currency department stores (e.g., Taesong, Pothonggang), tourist hotel bars, state-run restaurants, and ration-coupon beer halls; open-market transactions occur informally in local Jangmadang markets, though the government periodically clamps down to enforce state retail control.

restricted

Labels must be in Korean and display product name, alcohol percentage by volume (% ABV), volume/net quantity, producing state factory/enterprise, and production date or batch number; mandatory Western-style health warnings or excise strip stamps are not confirmed.

Banned; commercial product advertising and sponsorship are prohibited across state television, radio, and print media, which are reserved for state propaganda and educational messaging.

not confirmed

No geographic dry regions, but alcohol consumption is strictly banned in the vicinity of political monuments, revolutionary sites, statues of state leaders, and during official national mourning periods.

• Intensified state crackdowns on unlicensed private bootleg alcohol production and grain diversion, categorizing illicit grain brewing as an anti-state crime subject to forced labor detention.
• Renewed state re-monopolization efforts to drive consumer goods sales and alcohol distribution away from informal Jangmadang markets back into state-run commercial stores.
• Increased bilateral alcohol trade and state-level alcoholic gift exchanges with the Russian Federation following deepened diplomatic cooperation and the 2024 bilateral treaty.

Commercial export opportunities for foreign spirits producers are practically nonexistent due to comprehensive UN and multilateral sanctions banning luxury goods exports to the DPRK, alongside the country's closed state trading monopoly.

• Ministry of Light Industry
• Ministry of External Economic Relations
• General Administration of Customs of the DPRK
• National Quality Management Commission

1. ASIAPRESS: Inside N. Korea - Bootleg liquor is an anti-state act; government launches harsh crackdowns
2. The Guardian: What is drinking alcohol like in North Korea?
3. US Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS): North Korea Luxury Goods Sanctions Rule
4. NK News: Singapore firms' luxury trade with North Korea
5. North Korean Economy Watch: Cabinet ministries and foreign economic relations