Current Version
| Region | North Korea |
| Issue | Right to change legal gender |
| Status | Legal, but requires surgery |
| Start Date | Nov 26, 1997 |
| End Date | (none) |
| Description | The legal framework for gender marker changes in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was formally established with the enactment of the Citizen Registration Law. Article 16 of this legislation dictates that while arbitrarily modifying the name, sex, date of birth, or place of birth registered on birth certificates, citizen cards, or Pyongyang citizen cards is generally prohibited, an explicit statutory exception exists for "unavoidable circumstances." To initiate a gender marker change, an individual must submit a formal application for a status alteration to the People's Security Agency, which holds the absolute authority to review and approve or reject the request. Crucially, the statute explicitly mandates that in cases specifically involving a change of sex, the process cannot be solely administrative; the agency must refer the case to a state forensic medical evaluation institution for a mandatory official assessment. This proves that a statutory pathway for legal gender recognition exists and is codified in North Korean law, provided the applicant successfully passes the mandatory forensic medical evaluation and secures direct authorization from the state security apparatus. |
| Sources | https://namu.wiki/w/%EA%B3%B5%EB%AF%BC%EB%93%B1%EB%A1%9D%EB%B2%95 https://nk.chosun.com/bbs/view.html?idxno=545&sc_category= https://www.tongilnews.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=87770 |
Revision History (4)
edited by EqLawyer. this sounds like a requirement for surgery, as the administrative body expects a comprehensive evaluation by a forensic physician.
Helpful?
0 | Old Value | New Value (Current) | |
|---|---|---|
| Value | (REMOVED) | Legal, but requires surgery |
| Special Status | Ambiguous | Legal, but requires surgery |
edited by HuyenTrans. It doesn't sound like require surgery.
Helpful?
0 | Old Value | New Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Value | Legal, but requires surgery | (REMOVED) |
| Special Status | Legal, but requires surgery | Ambiguous |
| Old Value (Original) | New Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Value | Illegal | Legal, but requires surgery |
| Start Date | (unknown) | Nov 26, 1997 |
| Description | Legal gender recognition is not possible in North Korea. | The legal framework for gender marker changes in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was formally established with the enactment of the Citizen Registration Law. Article 16 of this legislation dictates that while arbitrarily modifying the name, sex, date of birth, or place of birth registered on birth certificates, citizen cards, or Pyongyang citizen cards is generally prohibited, an explicit statutory exception exists for "unavoidable circumstances." To initiate a gender marker change, an individual must submit a formal application for a status alteration to the People's Security Agency, which holds the absolute authority to review and approve or reject the request. Crucially, the statute explicitly mandates that in cases specifically involving a change of sex, the process cannot be solely administrative; the agency must refer the case to a state forensic medical evaluation institution for a mandatory official assessment. This proves that a statutory pathway for legal gender recognition exists and is codified in North Korean law, provided the applicant successfully passes the mandatory forensic medical evaluation and secures direct authorization from the state security apparatus. |
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| Sources | https://outrightinternational.org/our-work/asia/democratic-peoples-republic-korea | https://namu.wiki/w/%EA%B3%B5%EB%AF%BC%EB%93%B1%EB%A1%9D%EB%B2%95 https://nk.chosun.com/bbs/view.html?idxno=545&sc_category= https://www.tongilnews.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=87770 |
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