Distillers Alcohol regulations in North Korea
How to import or export liquor and spirits to North Korea, how to register products and labels, the import duty and taxes, and how to get a licence to make alcohol there. Researched August 2026.
Research guide, not legal advice. Compiled in August 2026 from the public sources listed at the bottom of this page. Duty rates, fees and rules change often: confirm with the regulator, a customs broker or local counsel before you act. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
- Status
- Legal
- Legal drinking age
- 18
- Legal purchase age
- 18
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Licence to make spirits (distillery and bottling)
- Licences needed
- not confirmed
- Authority
- Ministry of Light Industry / Cabinet of the DPRK
- Documents
- not confirmed
- Fees
- not confirmed
- Time to obtain
- not confirmed
Import licence and registration
- 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
Product and label registration
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…
Import rules
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…
Import duty on spirits (HS 2208)
not confirmed
Excise and taxes
not confirmed
Retail and distribution
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…
Online sale and delivery
restricted
Labelling
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…
Advertising
Banned; commercial product advertising and sponsorship are prohibited across state television, radio, and print media, which are reserved for state propaganda and educational messaging.
Legal definitions of spirits
not confirmed
Dry or restricted areas
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.
Recent changes
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…
Opportunities for exporters
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…
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Sign in to read the full guideSources
- ASIAPRESS: Inside N. Korea - Bootleg liquor is an anti-state act; government launches harsh crackdowns
- The Guardian: What is drinking alcohol like in North Korea?
- US Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS): North Korea Luxury Goods Sanctions Rule
- NK News: Singapore firms' luxury trade with North Korea
- North Korean Economy Watch: Cabinet ministries and foreign economic relations
Selling into North Korea or buying from it?