Commons:CRT/North Korea

This page provides an overview of copyright rules of North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) relevant to uploading works into Wikimedia Commons. Note that any work originating in North Korea must be in the public domain, or available under a free license, in both North Korea and the United States before it can be uploaded to Wikimedia Commons. If there is any doubt about the copyright status of a work from North Korea, refer to the relevant laws for clarification.

Background

Korea was annexed by Imperial Japan in 1910. After World War II ended in 1945, Korea was divided into two zones, with the north occupied by the Soviet Union and the south occupied by the United States. In 1948, separate governments were formed in North Korea and South Korea.

North Korea has been a member of the Berne Convention since 28 April 2003[1] and the WIPO Copyright Treaty since 30 April 2024.[2]

Governing laws

North Korea first enacted its Copyright Law on 5 April 2001,[2141/2001] and subsequently amended it in 2006,[1532/2006] 2012,[2803/2012] 2019,[144/2019] and 2024.

The original Korean texts up to the 2019 amendments are available on the North Korean Law Search Service provided by the Ministry of Unification of South Korea,[3] which is based on the law collections published biennially by the National Intelligence Service.[4]

The texts of the 2012 and 2019 amendments are also available on the Database on a Unified Korea's Legal System provided by the Ministry of Justice.[5]

The full text of the 2024 amendments has not been made public.[6]

An English translation of the 2001 version of the law is available from the website of KoryoPAT-Rainbow Patent & Trademark Agency.[7]

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), an agency of the United Nations, holds an English translation of the 2006 version of this law in their WIPO Lex database.[8]

Daye Gang's Law and North Korea resource holds an English translation of the 2012 version of the law.[9]

Applicability

North Korean works eligible for copyright are:[2141/2001 Article 9][144/2019 Article 10]

  • works of scientific treatises, novels and poems
  • works of music
  • works of theatrical art such as opera, drama, acrobatics and dance
  • works of visual art such as film and television program
  • works of fine arts such as painting, sculpture, industrial art, calligraphy and design
  • works of photography
  • works of graphic art such as map, chart, blueprint, sketch and model
  • computer programs

Architectural works are not specifically mentioned as applicable works. However, according to Liu 2018, "it is possible that buildings are protected as works of fine arts on the ground that they are analogous to sculpture as specifically provided for in the copyright act."[10]:9 In February 2025 and February 2026, the Rodong Sinmun noted that architectural works are subject to copyright protection, suggesting that they were likely added in the 2024 revision of the Copyright Law.[11][12]

General rules

Under the Copyright Law (as adopted by Decree No. 2141 of March 21, 2001),

  • The property right to a copyrighted work shall be protected from the moment of its publication to the 50th year after the death of its author. The property right to a joint copyrighted work shall be protected from the moment of its publication to the 50th year after the death of the last survivor of the co-authors.[2141/2001 Article 23][144/2019 Article 24]
  • The property right to a copyrighted work or a copyrighted visual art work whose author is an institution, enterprise or organization shall be protected for up to 50 years from the moment of its publication.[2141/2001 Article 24][144/2019 Article 25]
  • The term of copyright protection shall be calculated from the 1st of January of the year following the publication of the work or the death of its author.[2141/2001 Article 25][144/2019 Article 26]
  • The term of protection of related right shall be up to 50 years from the moment of performance, sound- or video-recording or broadcasting.[2141/2001 Article 38][144/2019 Article 39]

Under the Software Protection Law (as amended by Decree No. 629 of April 30, 2021, previously known as Computer Software Protection Law),[13][14]

  • The property right of a software program shall be protected for a period of 30 years, and it can be extended for up to a maximum of 20 years.[3831/2003, 609/2021 Article 29–30]

Copyright protection is not granted at the moment of creation, but is determined by the publication of the work, and the right to decide on publication belongs to the copyright holder. However, if the publication of a work is prohibited, its copyright cannot be exercised.[15]:28 (See § Prohibited works)

Terms

Use {{PD-North Korea}} for works whose author(s) died before 1 January 1976, or for corporate works published prior to that date.

For deciding if the work is out of copyright in the US, it is necessary to figure out whether the work was in the public domain in North Korea on 28 April 2003. If a work (excluding sound recordings and architecture) was first published outside the US before 1 January 1953 (and was not published in the US within 30 days), it is also in the public domain in the US. Use {{PD-1996|country=KP}}. For rules regarding sound recordings and architecture, see COM:Hirtle chart.

Pre-2001 works

North Korea's copyright law is considered to be retroactive. Even though North Korea had no copyright law before 2001, and its current copyright law does not make any references to pre-existing works, in a 2011 lawsuit filed in the Supreme Court of Japan over the protection of North Korean works in Japan, the Korea Film Export & Import Corporation tried to sue a Japanese film distributor over the use of North Korean films, including one film made in 1978. Furthermore, the second plaintiff (referred to as X2 in the case) made an agreement with the Ministry of Culture, which confirmed the copyright to the film. Although the case result was that North Korean works are not copyrighted in Japan (which is irrelevant in this context, as Wikimedia Commons is hosted in the US), the statement made by the Ministry of Culture on a 1978 film proves that the North Korean government does not treat pre-2001 works as public domain.[16][17]

Not protected

Shortcut

See also: Commons:Unprotected works

2001 version
법령, 결정, 지시 같은 국가관리문건과 시사보도물, 통보자료 같은 것은 저작권의 대상으로 되지 않는다.
[2141/2001 Article 12]

Documents for state management such as ordinance, decision or directive, current news or information data shall not be the object of copyright unless commercial purpose is pursued.

2006 version
(저작권의 제외대상) 국가관리문건과 시사보도물, 통보자료 같은 것은 상업적목적이 없는 한 저작권의 대상으로 되지 않는다.
[1532/2006 Article 12][144/2019 Article 13]

(Exclusion of copyright) Documents for state management, current news or information data shall not be the object of copyright unless commercial purpose is pursued.

Documents for state management, current news or information data published before February 1, 2006 shall not be eligible for copyright protection under the original enactment.[2141/2001 Article 12]

In 2006, the scope of copyright-exempt government documents was expanded by removing the expression "such as ordinance, decision, or directive." However, at the same time, the expression "unless commercial purpose is pursued" was added, indicating that copyright exists in cases of commercial use.[18][19][20][21] Therefore, such works published on or after February 1, 2006, cannot be used commercially and are not generally allowed on Wikimedia Commons.

  • Documents for state management: This includes "ordinance, decision or directive" that existed in the 2001 law. 최경수 2015 proposed that this might refer to "official texts of a legislative, administrative and legal nature" and "political speeches" as outlined in Article 2(4) and Article 2bis(1) of the Berne Convention, respectively.[22] There is no consensus on Commons regarding this claim.
  • Information data: This refers to a list of data such as statistical data.[23][25]

Prohibited works

A "work whose publication, issuance, performance, broadcasting, show and exhibition is prohibited" is not protected by copyright.[2141/2001 Article 6][144/2019 Article 7]

North Korea recognizes copyright only within the bounds of protecting and practicing the socialist order, strictly prohibiting the publication and broadcasting of works that could negatively affect the state's Juche ideology and denying them copyright protection.[15]:28 This provision may violate Article 17 of the Berne Convention.[26]

Shortcut

See also: Commons:Copyright tags

Currency

Shortcut

See also: Commons:Currency  Not OK. Under the Copyright Law (as adopted by Decree No. 2141 of March 21, 2001), "the property right to a copyrighted work or a copyrighted visual art work whose author is an institution, enterprise or organization shall be protected for up to 50 years from the moment of its publication."[2141/2001 Article 24][144/2019 Article 25]

Freedom of panorama

Shortcut

See also: Commons:Freedom of panorama OK: {{FoP-North Korea}}

Under the Copyright Law (as adopted by Decree No. 2141 of March 21, 2001), "A copyrighted work may be used without the permission ... when a copyrighted work in public places is copied."[2141/2001 Article 32.8][144/2019 Article 33.8]

Stamps

See also: Commons:Stamps Copyrighted Under the Copyright Law (as adopted by Decree No. 2141 of March 21, 2001), "the property right to a copyrighted work or a copyrighted visual art work whose author is an institution, enterprise or organization shall be protected for up to 50 years from the moment of its publication."[2141/2001 Article 24][144/2019 Article 25]

Threshold of originality

Shortcut

See also: Commons:Threshold of originality

 Unsure. The threshold of originality situation in North Korea remains unknown. Precautionary principle should be applied.

Signatures

Shortcut

See also: Commons:When to use the PD-signature tag

 Unsure. Use {{PD-signature|KP}} for simple signatures.

 Not OK for calligraphic signatures. Calligraphy is protected by copyright in North Korea.[2141/2001 Article 9.5][144/2019 Article 10.5]

See also

Citations

  1. ↑
  2. ↑ "TREATY/WCT/108: [WCT Treaty] Accession by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea". WIPO. Retrieved 2026-03-02.
  3. ↑ "저작권법". 북한법령 검색 서비스 (in Korean). Ministry of Unification. Retrieved 2026-03-02.
  4. ↑ 북한법령집(北韓法令集) (in Korean). National Intelligence Service. 2024-09-13. Retrieved 2026-03-02.
  5. ↑ "저작권법". 통일법제데이터베이스 (in Korean). Ministry of Justice. 2023-04-10. Retrieved 2026-03-02.
  6. ↑ 김순 (2025-02-02). "저작권보호제도". Rodong Sinmun (in Korean). p. 5. Retrieved 2026-03-02. 조선민주주의인민공화국 저작권법은 2001년 3월에 채택되였으며 발전하는 현실적요구에 맞게 2024년 9월 새롭게 수정보충되였다.
  7. ↑ "Law on Copyright (Unofficial translation)". KoryoOAT-Rainbow Patent & Trademark Agency. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27.
  8. ↑ "Law on Copyright of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (amended up to Decree No. 1532 of 2006 of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly), Democratic People's Republic of Korea". WIPO. Retrieved 2026-03-02.
  9. ↑ Gang, Daye. "Copyright Law of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (2012)". Law and North Korea. Archived from the original on 2025-06-02. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  10. ↑ Liu, Deming (2018-01-09). "Copyright in North Korea, Reality or Hoax?" (PDF). Chicago-Kent Journal of International and Comparative Law. 18 (1). ISSN 1535-1785. Retrieved 2025-06-03. (ePrints)
  11. ↑ 안성일 (2025-02-26). "우리 나라에서 지적재산권은 어떻게 보호되는가". Rodong Sinmun (in Korean). p. 6. Retrieved 2026-03-03. 이 법에서 지적하고있는 저작물에는 소설, 시, 과학론문과 같은 어문저작물, 음악저작물, 가극, 연극과 같은 무대예술저작물, 영화, 방송편집물과 같은 시청각저작물, 미술저작물, 도형저작물, 건축저작물, 쏘프트웨어저작물 등이 속한다.
  12. ↑ "저작권". Rodong Sinmun (in Korean). 2025-02-26. p. 6. Retrieved 2026-03-03. 이러한 저작물들에는 시, 소설, 그림, 사진, 음악, 조각공예, 건축물, 영화, 쏘프트웨어 등이 속한다.
  13. ↑ "쏘프트웨어보호법". 북한법령 검색 서비스 (in Korean). Ministry of Unification. Retrieved 2026-03-02.
  14. ↑ "콤퓨터쏘프트웨어보호법". 북한법령 검색 서비스 (in Korean). Ministry of Unification. Retrieved 2026-03-02.
  15. 1 2 서울동부지방법원 2021가합106706
  16. ↑ 櫻井龍子; 宮川光治; 金築誠志; 横田尤孝; 白木勇 (2011-12-08). "平成21(受)602 著作権侵害差止等請求事件" (in Japanese). Supreme Court of Japan. Retrieved 2026-03-02.
  17. ↑ 채명석 (2011-12-09). "일 법원 "북 영화 저작권 보호의무 없다"". Radio Free Asia (in Korean). Retrieved 2026-03-03.
  18. ↑ 정영 (2009-11-26). 북, 저작권 보호 강화 법 개정 [North Korea amended laws to strengthen copyright protection]. Radio Free Asia (in Korean). Retrieved 2026-03-02. 북한이 국가관리 문건을 상업적으로 이용할 경우에 저작권 대상으로 삼겠다는 것은 현재 한국이나 일본 등 외국에서 이용되고 있는 자신들의 국가관련 문건을 보호하겠다는 의미로도 해석됩니다. 익명을 요구한 고위급 출신 탈북자들은 북한 내에서는 국가관리 문건이 주민들을 장악통제, 선전선동하기 위해 발행되기 때문에 상업적 목적에 이용될 수 없다고 말했습니다. 그러면서 북한이 상업적 목적에 쓰이는 국가 관리문건을 보호하겠다는 것은 자신들의 국가문건이 한국과 일본 등에 반입되어 연구 자료로 쓰이고, 텔레비전 등에서 공개되는 것을 보호하겠다는 것으로 보인다고 이 탈북자들은 말했습니다.
  19. ↑ 권대식 et al. 2020, p. 12: "국가관리문건과 시사보도물, 통보자료 등은 비록 저작권의 보호를 받는 대상은 아니지만, 상업적 목적으로 이용되면 〈저작권법〉의 보호를 받을 수 있다는 것으로 해석할 수 있다. [...] 즉 북한 〈저작권법〉에서 말하고 있는 시사보도물을 한국에서 계약관계에 의하여 이용하고 그 이용료를 지불하고 있으므로 상업적 목적에 속하고, 한국에서 이용되고 있는 북한 저작물은 저작권법으로 보호받을 수 있는 대상이 되는 것이다."
  20. ↑ 한지영; 신재호; 조효철 (December 2019). 저작권 기반 남북 문화 예술 교류 활성화를 위한 대응방안 연구. 저작권정책연구 (in Korean). Korea Copyright Commission. p. 96. ISBN 978-89-6120-434-7. 이는 국가관리문건(예, 법령집)에 대한 상업적 발행에 대해 저작권을 행사하려는 목적이 있는 것으로 추정된다.
  21. ↑ "북한, 저작권법 시행규정 채택". 북한정보포털 (in Korean). Ministry of Unification. 2007-11-02. Retrieved 2026-03-02. 2006.2 상업적 목적의 경우 공개자료도 저작권 대상임을 명시하는 등 일부 조항을 개정한 바 있음.
  22. 1 2 3 최경수 (December 2015). 북한 저작권법 및 남북 간 저작권 분야 교류·협력에 관한 연구. 저작권연구 (in Korean). Korea Copyright Commission. p. 38–39. ISBN 978-89-6120-311-1.
  23. ↑ "조선에서 저작권의 대상" (in Korean). Korean Association of Social Scientists. Retrieved 2026-03-03. 통계자료, 시사보도물, 통보자료와 같은 객관적인 사실을 그대로 반영한것들, 법령과 개별적인 국가기관들에서 작성한 공식적인 문건 같은것은 저작자의 사상, 감정을 담지 않았을뿐아니라 과학, 문학, 예술의 분야에 속하지 않으므로 저작권의 대상으로 될수 없다. (English)
  24. ↑ See below:
    • "통보1(通報)". Standard Korean Language Dictionary (in Korean). National Institute of Korean Language. Retrieved 2026-03-03.
    • "통보(通報)". Urimalsaem (in Korean). National Institute of Korean Language. 2016-10-03. Retrieved 2026-03-03.
    • "통보론(通報論)". Urimalsaem (in Korean). National Institute of Korean Language. 2016-10-03. Retrieved 2026-03-03. '정보 이론'의 북한어.
  25. ↑ Although 최경수 2015 suggested that this might refer to documents of social organizations like the Workers' Party of Korea, this is not true.[22] While the term "통보" means "notification" in South Korea—referring to the act of informing someone of a fact—in North Korea, it translates to "information," defined as a collection of data consisting of various items ("정보" in South Korea).[24]
  26. ↑ 권대식 et al. 2020, p. 95–96: "북한은 TRIPs 협정에 가입하지는 않아 분쟁 해결 절차에 회부될 가능성은 낮지만, 여전히 베른협약 위반 문제는 제기될 수 있다. 베른협약 제17조는 각 당사국이 국내법으로 저작물등의 유통·실연 또는 전시를 금지할 가능성을 열어두고 있지만, WTO에 의하면 이를 넘어서 해당 저작물의 보호 자체를 부정할 수는 없으므로 제6조는 베른협약에 위배되어 저작권의 보호를 부정하는 것으로 볼 여지가 있다.
  27. "Treaties Collection: Contracting Parties/Signatories > Berne Convention > Democratic People's Republic of Korea". WIPO. Retrieved 2026-03-02.

Bibliography

Caution: The above description may be inaccurate, incomplete and/or out of date, so must be treated with caution. Before you upload a file to Wikimedia Commons you should ensure it may be used freely. See also: Commons:General disclaimer
Category:Commons licensing help by country#North%20Korea Category:Copyright rules of North Korea