What to Do When Someone Dies in North Korea: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Obtain Medical Certification of Cause of Death

   • Hospital or clinic deaths: Under the Public Health Law of the DPRK, when a death occurs in a state medical facility - such as a central or provincial hospital in Pyongyang, a county people's hospital, or a ri/dong clinic under the Ministry of Public Health (with technical health profile monitoring tracked by the World Health Organization (DPRK Country Office)) - the attending state physician issues the official Medical Death Certificate (Samang Jindanso) [1][5]. For foreign nationals treated in Pyongyang, medical care and certification are typically handled through the Pyongyang Friendship Hospital [2][3].
   • Deaths at home: When a DPRK resident dies at home, the family or the head of the local neighbourhood unit (inminban) must immediately summon the assigned household doctor (hojdong uisa) from the local polyclinic or ri/dong clinic to examine the deceased and issue the medical confirmation of death [1][4].
   • Unnatural, sudden, or foreign-national deaths: Any sudden, accidental, or unexplained death must be reported immediately to the local office of the Ministry of Social Security (Sahoe Anjonbu, the national civil police authority) for forensic examination before the body may be moved [4]. If the deceased was a foreign visitor or resident, the state host organisation (such as the Korea International Travel Company) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must be notified immediately alongside the relevant diplomatic mission in Pyongyang [2][3].
2. 2

   Register the Death with the State Civil and Security Registry

   • Competent registration authority: Vital statistics and household registration in North Korea are administered jointly by the Resident Registration Department of the local Ministry of Social Security (Sahoe Anjonbu) office and the local City, District, or County People's Committee (Inmin Wiwonhoe) where the deceased was registered [4].
   • Statutory timeline and identity card surrender: Surviving family members or the local inminban head must report the death within the prescribed statutory period (typically within 7 to 15 days of death, and prior to burial or cremation) [4]. At the time of registration, the family must submit the Medical Death Certificate and surrender the deceased's Citizen Registration Certificate (Kongminjung - or Pyongyang Citizen Certificate for capital residents) so the individual can be struck from the household register [4].
   • Death certificates for international use: Domestic civil registry extracts are restricted state records and cannot be ordered online from abroad [4]. When an official death certificate is required for a foreign national or for cross-border legal proceedings, the request must be routed through the Consular Department of the DPRK Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a resident diplomatic mission in Pyongyang, as documented by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (Consular Services for North Korea) and the U.S. Department of State (Protecting Power Consular Guidance for North Korea) [2][3].
3. 3

   Arrange Burial, Cremation, or International Repatriation

   • Domestic funeral and cremation procedures: Funerals, cremation at state crematoria, and interment in designated public cemeteries are managed through the urban management and funeral services department of the local People's Committee (Inmin Wiwonhoe) and the deceased's state workplace (kikwan or enterprise) [1][4]. A burial or cremation permit is issued only after the Medical Death Certificate and Ministry of Social Security registration have been verified [4].
   • International repatriation of a foreign national: If a foreign citizen dies in the DPRK, repatriation of remains or cremated ashes is coordinated strictly between the DPRK Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Public Health quarantine authorities, and the deceased's embassy in Pyongyang (such as the Embassy of Sweden, which serves as the consular protecting power for several Western states, or the British Embassy when staffed) [2][3].
   • Document legalisation (no Apostille): North Korea is not a party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. Any DPRK medical certificate, autopsy report, or death extract intended for use outside the country must undergo consular legalisation by the DPRK Ministry of Foreign Affairs followed by authentication at the relevant foreign embassy in Pyongyang (or via Beijing where accredited concurrently) [2][3].
4. 4

   Notify Workplace, Rationing, Social Security, and Banking Authorities

   • Workplace and social insurance funeral assistance: Under DPRK labour and social security legislation, a deceased worker's state enterprise, cooperative farm, or government institution notifies the social insurance administration under the Ministry of Labour and the local People's Committee to disburse any statutory funeral subsidy (changrye pojogum) and survivor allowance (yujok pojogum) for eligible dependents who lack working capacity [4][5].
   • Public Distribution System and housing register adjustments: Upon cancellation of the deceased's Citizen Registration Certificate, the local People's Committee updates the household's Public Distribution System food ration book and work-unit records [4][5].
   • State banking and savings accounts: Any formal personal deposit held at the Central Bank of the DPRK or regional state savings branches is frozen until surviving family heirs present confirmation of death and succession entitlement from the local People's Committee or Public Notary Office [4].
5. 5

   Administer Personal Property Succession and Housing Rights

   • Scope of inheritance under the DPRK Law on Succession: Under the Civil Law and the Law on Succession of the DPRK, land, major production facilities, and state-owned housing cannot be privately owned or freely inherited [4]. However, personal property (kaein soyu) - including personal savings, household goods, clothing, domestic items, and personal effects - passes to statutory heirs [4].
   • Statutory order of heirs and notarisation: First-tier statutory heirs under the Law on Succession include the surviving spouse, children, and parents of the deceased. Uncontested transfers of personal property and bank deposits are certified through the local State Notary Office (Kukga Kongjungso), while disputes are adjudicated by the local People's Court (Inmin Jaepanso) within the six-month statutory claim period [4].
   • State housing use Permit (Ibsajung) and overseas relatives: Because residential apartments and houses belong to the state or cooperatives, cohabiting family members recorded on the household register must apply to the Housing Management Department of the local People's Committee to transfer the State Housing Occupancy Permit (Ibsajung) into the name of a surviving adult household member [4]. Cross-border inheritance claims by relatives living outside the DPRK face strict currency and sanctions restrictions and require diplomatic channels [2][3][4].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Democratic People's Republic of Korea - Country Health and Public Health System Profile — World Health Organization (WHO)
2. [2]
   Foreign Travel Advice: North Korea (Health, Laws, and Consular Support) — Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (GOV.UK)
3. [3]
   Democratic People's Republic of Korea International Travel and Consular Information — U.S. Department of State - Bureau of Consular Affairs
4. [4]
   Democratic People's Republic of Korea - UN Human Rights and Legal Framework Reports — Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
5. [5]
   UNICEF Democratic People's Republic of Korea - Health, Nutrition, and Social Services Overview — United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)