Is MDMA legal in North Korea?

Legal status

Controlled under the DPRK Criminal Code (2013 revision and later amendments) — serious drug production and trafficking are capital-eligible (the death penalty applies to the gravest offences), with lower-level offences punishable by imprisonment or corrective labour; the specific article is left to confirmation against the current Criminal Code; the maximum penalty is death for the gravest drug offences

Consequences if caught

MDMA is controlled in North Korea under the DPRK Criminal Code (2013 revision and later amendments). In North Korea, drugs fall under the Criminal Code of the DPRK (2013 revision and later amendments). The 2013 penal code revision designated illegal drug production a capital offence, and serious drug trafficking and smuggling are treated as grave crimes that can carry the death penalty; lower-level offences carry imprisonment or corrective labour. North Korea is among the small group of states with believed or confirmed drug-related executions in recent years (per the Harm Reduction International Global Overview); independent verification is constrained by extreme state opacity, and the specific Criminal Code article is left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for the gravest drug offences is death. A primary statute portal for DPRK law was not located; this cell is sourced via the Library of Congress Global Legal Monitor (loc.gov) and the UNODC legal database, with Harm Reduction International as a corroborating record.

If prescribed or medical

Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.

Documentation

In North Korea, drugs fall under the Criminal Code of the DPRK (2013 revision and later amendments). The 2013 penal code revision designated illegal drug production a capital offence, and serious drug trafficking and smuggling are treated as grave crimes that can carry the death penalty; lower-level offences carry imprisonment or corrective labour. North Korea is among the small group of states with believed or confirmed drug-related executions in recent years (per the Harm Reduction International Global Overview); independent verification is constrained by extreme state opacity, and the specific Criminal Code article is left to confirmation against the current statute. The maximum penalty for the gravest drug offences is death. A primary statute portal for DPRK law was not located; this cell is sourced via the Library of Congress Global Legal Monitor (loc.gov) and the UNODC legal database, with Harm Reduction International as a corroborating record. Cannabis is a controlled drug under the same Criminal Code, with no legal recreational or medical regime. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with North Korea’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.