The Law of the DPRK on Maritime Administration was revised by Decree No.314 of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly on 23 April 2020.

This Law was adopted on 24 September 1997 by Decision No.97 of the then Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly and, since then, has been amended on several occasions to keep up with the times. It aims to ensure a strict and sound system of promoting safety of life and ships at sea, rivers and lakes and preventing pollution by ships.

Now it consists of twelve chapters which 140 articles constitute. It specifies all the responsibilities and obligations of the maritime authority in registration of ships and seafarers, qualification of crew, design, construction, surveys, inspections and safety management of ships, prevention of pollution by ships, maritime search and rescue coordination, marine casualty investigation and other maritime administrative affairs.

The latest revised version aims at improving the juridical foundation for the effective implementation of the national maritime policies as well as the mechanism for full performance by the DPRK of its obligations under the IMO instruments.