Suggested citations
AGLC4 | 산림법 2015 [Forest Law of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (2015)] [tr Daye Gang].
Bluebook | Sanlimbeob 2015 [Forest Law of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (2015)] translated in Law and North Korea by Daye Gang, https://www.lawandnorthkorea.com/.
Adopted on December 11, Juche 81 (1992), as Law No. 9 of the Supreme People’s Assembly
Amended and supplemented on February 4, Juche 88 (1999), as Directive No. 383 of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly
Amended and supplemented on September 10, Juche 88 (1999), as Directive No. 1012 of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly
Amended and supplemented on October 18, Juche 90 (2001), as Directive No. 2626 of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly
Amended and supplemented on August 2, Juche 94 (2005), as Directive No. 1235 of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly
Amended and supplemented on April 1, Juche 97 (2008), as Directive No. 2643 of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly
Amended and supplemented on August 19, Juche 97 (2008), as Directive No. 2841 of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly
Amended and supplemented on August 4, Juche 98 (2009), as Directive No. 205 of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly
Amended and supplemented on March 13, Juche 101 (2012), as Directive No. 2240 of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly
Amended and supplemented on March 14, Juche 102 (2013), as Directive No. 3058 of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly
Amended and supplemented on July 24, Juche 102 (2013), as Directive No. 3292 of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly
Amended and supplemented on June 11, Juche 103 (2014), as Directive No. 67 of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly
Amended and supplemented on March 11, Juche 104 (2015), as Directive No. 399 of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly
CHAPTER I. BASICS OF FOREST LAW
Article 1 (Objectives of Forest Law)
The Forest Law of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea shall serve to strictly adopt strict discipline and order in forest creation and protection and the use of forest resources, so that the forest policy of the State can be achieved.
Article 2 (Forests and their ownership)
The forests of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea shall include forest land and the animal and plant resources in it. Only the State shall own the forests.
Article 3 (Classification of forests)
Forest shall be divided into special protected forests, general protective forests, timber forests, economic forests, and firewood forests, according to their objectives.
Article 4 (Principle of drafting and executing overarching forest construction plan)
The overarching forest construction plan is a standardized and comprehensive plan for forest construction to afforest, protect, and manage the forests in conformity with national economic development and the promotion of the well-being of the people, and to rationally use forest resources. The State shall adopt an overarching forest construction plan that is active and mobilization-oriented, and must correctly execute it.
Article 5 (Principle of afforestation)
Doing afforestation by using the whole masses is the consistent policy of the State. The State shall ensure that all people actively participate in afforestation work and raise the role of specialist afforestation enterprises to afforest and gardenize the whole country. The State shall determine forest district systems for institutions, enterprises and organizations and shall execute a management system per m2 to responsibly do afforestation and management.
Article 6 (Principle of protecting forests)
The State shall adopt a forest protection system, and shall strengthen Kim Jong Il patriotic education within the people so that they willingly participate in forest protection work.
Article 7 (Principle of using forest resources)
The State shall correctly adopt an order for using forest resources and must comprehensively and rationally use forest resources.
Article 8 (Principle of modernizing and scientizing forest business administration)
The State shall actively accept the results of modern scientific techniques to push the modernization and scientization of forest business administration, and must systematically increase investment in the forest business administration sector.
Article 9 (Exchange and cooperation in the forest business administration field)
The State shall actively develop scientific and technical exchange and cooperation in the forest business administration field with many countries of the world.
CHAPTER II. AFFORESTATION
Article 10 (Prospective afforestation)
Afforestation is nature remodelling work for the prosperity of the country. Land environmental protection institutions, forestry institutions, regional People’s Committees, and given institutions, enterprises and organizations shall combine good species of trees such as larches with evergreens to ceaselessly extend the forest surface area, improve the forest scenery, raise the economic effectiveness of forests and increase accumulation by unit of surface area, so that afforestation work has good prospects.
Article 11 (Tree planting months)
The State shall determine tree planting months to do afforestation for the masses and intensively at the proper time. The work of determining tree planting months shall be done by the Cabinet.
Article 12 (Planting trees, cultivating planted trees)
State planning institutions, land environmental protection institutions, and regional People’s Committees shall correctly adopt a plan for tree planting and cultivating planted trees and must give it correctly to the given institutions, enterprises and organizations. Institutions, enterprises, and organizations that have received the plan for tree planting and cultivating planted trees shall finish planting trees during the period determined and must responsibly cultivate planted trees.
Article 13 (Drafting afforestation designs)
Afforestation designs shall be drafted by the forest design institutions and given design institutions. Forest design institutions and given design institutions shall investigate and analyse the forest area and climate of the area to be afforested and soil conditions and must remodel useless forests into forests with good species of trees to create timber forests, textile materials trees, trees for oil production, mountainous fruiting trees, trees for firewood, and grassy fields, or must do afforestation design so that agroforestry business administration can be done.
Article 14 (Seedling production and purchasing tree seeds)
The land environmental protection institution shall correctly adopt breeding systems and seed-gathering systems so that they grow good kinds of trees that have good shapes and materials so that insects do not become involved and they grow quickly, and must professionalize the afforestation and management of seed-gathering forests of superior trees in key species, and the production and supply of tree seeds, using enterprising methods. Given institutions, enterprises and organizations must manage well tree nurseries in places with high soil fertility and which are profitable for planting trees, and must accept advanced sapling growing techniques to increase seedling production. The purchase of tree seeds shall be done by the land environmental protection institution, forestry institution, and regional People’s Committees.
Article 15 (Inspection of tree seeds and saplings)
Land environmental protection institutions, forestry institutions, regional People’s Committees, and the authorities concerned must inspect tree seeds and saplings to be used for afforestation. Tree seeds and saplings that have not passed inspection may not be used for afforestation.
Article 16 (Adherence to requirements of tree planting designs, guarantee of survival rate of planted trees)
Tree planting shall be done according to tree planting designs. Institutions, enterprises, organizations and citizens shall plant trees according to the requirements of tree planting designs, and must cultivate planted trees and additional planting using scientific techniques to assure survival rate to designated standards.
Article 17 (Cultivation of medicinal herbs and wild edible greens)
Land environmental protection institutions, forestry institutions, regional People’s Committees and given institutions, enterprises and organizations shall plant and cultivate medicinal herbs and wild edible greens in a planned way in the forest districts they have responsibility for to increase forests capable of generating wealth.
Article 18 (Agroforestry business administration)
Land environmental protection institutions, forestry institutions, regional People’s Committees and given institutions, enterprises and organizations shall actively accept agroforestry business administration in the forest district they have responsibility for and may plant trees together with crops. In these cases, they shall correctly determine agroforestry business administration candidates, and shall do afforestation and crop fertilization and management using scientific techniques, to preserve the ecological environment and assure productivity.
CHAPTER III. FOREST PROTECTION
Article 19 (Duty to manage forest protection)
Protecting forests well is important work to extend forest resources. Institutions, enterprises, organizations and citizens shall pay deep attention to forest protection, and must participate in forest protection management work as if they are the owners.
Article 20 (Forest fire prevention period and forest pests relief period)
The State shall determine a forest fire prevention period and a forest pests relief period to prevent damage from forest fires and forest pests. The work of determining forest fire prevention periods and forest pests relief periods shall be done by the Cabinet.
Article 21 (Permission to enter a mountain or permission for controlled burns)
In cases where institutions, enterprises, organizations and citizens seeking to enter a forest district for purposes such as using forest land or gathering from forests capable of generating wealth, must receive the permission of the land environmental protection institution or the regional People’s Committee through agreements with the institution, enterprise or organization with responsibility for the given forest district. During the forest fire prevention period, they may not set fires in forest districts and their surroundings.
Article 22 (Forest fire inspections and extinguishing forest fires)
The State non-standing disaster prevention measures committee, land environmental protection institutions, forestry institutions, regional People’s Committees, and given institutions, enterprises and organizations must set up a forest fire prevention line and manage it well to correctly adopt a forest fire inspection and notification system, and must ensure that forest fires do not happen. In cases where forest fires arose, the People’s Committee and people’s safety institutions in the area concerned must correctly organize and conduct themselves to extinguish the forest fire in time. Institutions, enterprises and organizations in the area where the forest fire arose must compulsorily mobilize the people, facilities, and means required to extinguish the forest fire.
Article 23 (Forest pests relief)
Land environmental protection institutions and regional People’s Committees adopt a forest pests projection and quarantine system, and institutions, enterprises, and organizations must eliminate forest pests occurring in forest district systems in time. Things like trees, grasses, and soil may not be taken out of forest districts where pests have occurred.
Article 24 (Introducing research on means for relief from forest pests)
Forest scientific research institutions, regional People’s Committees, and given institutions, enterprises and organizations must actively research and introduce things such as highly effective agricultural pesticides, biological methods, and modern technical equipment to eliminate forest pests.
Article 25 (Prohibited matters in forest districts)
The following acts may not be done in forest districts without authorization.
1. Acts of constructing roads, buildings, facilities
2. Acts of developing underground resources
3. Acts of creating sideline bases, raw materials bases
4. Acts of pulling up ground cover plants such as trees and, grass
5. Acts of chopping at or breaking off trees, or stripping their bark or digging up their roots
6. Acts of cultivating mountains or using graves
7. Acts of entering mountains with goods that can cause forest fires or of setting fires
8. Acts of digging rocks or digging up soil
9. Acts of gathering forest resources such as medicinal herbs, forest fruits
10. Acts of catching animals
11. Acts of taking away things such as trees, grasses, and soil in forest districts where pests have occurred
Article 26 (Erosion control construction, maintenance and service of those facilities)
Land environmental protection institutions, forestry institutions, regional People’s Committees and given institutions, enterprises and organizations must do erosion control construction in a planned way to be able to protect forests from natural damage such as from heavy rains or landslides, and must normally maintain or service those facilities.
Article 27 (Typical preservation of forest ecological areas and protection of animal and plant resources)
Land environmental protection institutions shall preserve typical forest ecological areas in natural protected forest areas, and must protect and increase rare animal and plant resources. Even if it is not a natural protected forest area, in cases where there is a requirement to protect and increase animal and plant resources, a prohibited area for entering a mountain shall be determined and grazing domestic animals and hunting and gathering of animals and plants in the given forest district may be prohibited for a constant period
Article 28 (Protecting and increasing useful animals and plants)
Institutions, enterprises, organizations and citizens shall make conditions for beneficial animals and plants to grow well in forest districts, and must actively protect and increase them.
CHAPTER IV. USE OF FOREST RESOURCES
Article 29 (Planned and effective use of forest resources)
Using forest resources rationally is an important requirement of fostering socialist economic construction and raising people’s standard of living. State planning institutions, land environmental protection institutions, regional People’s Committees and authorities concerned shall investigate and command the true state of forest resources in detail, and must use them effectively and in a planned way.
Article 30 (Permission to use forest land)
Permission to use forest land shall be done by the Cabinet or the given land environmental protection institution. The Cabinet and the given land environmental protection institution must grant permission for use after considering things such as the purpose of use and scale of the land.
Article 31 (Timber production by lumbering of logs on a rotation basis)
Cutting down trees on a circulation basis is a rational way to extend timber resources and normalize log production. Forestry institutions and authorities concerned shall adopt an overarching plan based on lumbering of logs on a rotation basis, based on forest resources exploration data and correctly execute it, and must ceaselessly increase timber production.
Article 32 (Permission to cut down wood)
Permission to cut down wood shall be granted by the land environmental protection institution and regional People’s Committees. Land environmental protection institutions and regional People’s Committees must only grant permission to cut down wood to units that have received plans to cut down wood from the State. Permission to cut down wood for afforestation and management, scientific research on forests, and to partially guarantee residents’ convenient standard of life such as firewood, may be granted without a plan to cut down wood.
Article 33 (Adherence to particulars of permission to cut down wood)
Trees may not be cut down without permission to cut down wood. Institutions, enterprises and organizations that have received permission to cut down wood must abide by the particulars pointed out in the permit to cut down wood.
Article 34 (Transferring cut wood out)
Cut wood may only be transferred out according to a permit to transfer out wood issued by the land environmental protection institution. Logs and sawn logs for which production has been guaranteed by the forestry institution may only be supplied with the supply guidance manual and the sales invoice from forestry institutions and enterprises according to State planning. In these cases, the sales amount must be notified to the People’s Committee in the given area once per quarter.
Article 35 (Gathering wood, grass, medicinal herbs, forest fruits)
In cases where forest resources such as wood, grass, medicinal herbs, or forest fruits are sought to be picked or gathered, the permission of the land environmental protection institution or regional People’s Committee must be received through the agreement of the institutions, enterprises and organizations that were responsible for the given forest district, and the determined time, place, method, amount must be abided by. In picking or gathering forest resources, they must not be exhausted or cause the forest to become unusable.
Article 36 (Use of forest land, cut wood)
Institutions, enterprises, organizations and citizens shall use things such as cut wood in conformity with the given use according to the forest land for which permission for use has been received, or State planning, and must not hand it over to different institutions, enterprises and organizations or individual citizens. Raw logs may not be used as firewood.
Article 37 (Hunting of mountain animals and mountain birds)
Institutions, enterprises, organizations and citizens seeking to hunt mountain animals and mountain birds shall receive the permission of the land environmental protection institution, and must abide by the instituted hunting order.
Article 38 (Exports and imports of forest resources)
Forest resources such as trees, mountain animals, mountain birds, seeds and specimens of forest plants, medicinal herbs, and forest fruits may not be exported. Products made of things such as trees, medicinal herbs, and forest fruits may only be exported by receiving the approval of the given unit. In cases where new kinds of forest plants are brought in, the scientific and technical issues related to their cultivation must be correctly researched.
CHAPTER V. GUIDANCE AND CONTROL FOR FOREST BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION WORK
Article 39 (Command and guidance for forest business administration work)
Guidance for forest business administration work shall be done by the central land environmental protection guidance institution and the regional People’s Committee under the standardized guidance of the Cabinet. The central land environmental protection guidance institution and regional People’s Committees shall correctly adopt a guidance system for forest business administration work and must normally command and guide forest business administration work.
Article 40 (Forest business administration according to overarching forest construction plan)
The State shall do forest business administration work according to the overarching forest construction plan. The ratification of the national overarching forest construction plan shall be done by the Cabinet.
Article 41 (Use and registration of fluctuations in forest resources)
The land environmental protection institution, forestry institutions, regional People’s Committees, and authorities concerned shall investigate forest resources, shall normally register their uses or fluctuations, and shall organize and control the use of forest resources. Institutions, enterprises and organizations managing forests on their own must submit materials required by the land environmental protection institution in time.
Article 42 (Guarantee of work conditions for forest business administration)
State planning institutions, labour administration institutions, resources supply institutions, agricultural guidance institutions, financial banking institutions, and local political institutions shall strengthen the material and technical foundations of the forest sector, and must assure the labour, facilities, resources, and funds required for afforestation and protection management in time. The labour, facilities, resources, funds in the afforestation and protection management sector may not be used for a different purpose.
Article 43 (Education and scientific research in the forest sector)
Education institutions, scientific research institutions, and authorities concerned in the forest sector shall develop more competent scientific and technical experts, shall strengthen scientific research, and shall actively accept the results of the newest scientific techniques to resolve scientific and technical issues arising in afforestation and protection management.
Article 44 (Supervision and control for forest business administration work)
Supervision and control for forest business administration work shall be done by the land environmental protection institution, regional People’s Committees, and the given supervision and control institution. The land environmental protection institution, regional People’s Committees, and given supervision and control institutions shall plant forests from the principle of cutting down one tree and planting ten, shall prevent damage from
forest fires, pests, landslides, forest land clearing, and illegal tree felling, and must normally exercise supervision and control so that the order for using forest resources, such as forest land use, tree cutting, and log consumption, is correctly observed.
Article 45 (Suspension of use of forest resources)
In cases where the tree planting plan and cultivating planted trees plan has not been able to be executed, or the survival rate of the planted trees was not able to be assured, the use of the forest resources shall be suspended.
Article 46 (Civil responsibility)
In cases where a mountain has been cultivated, or a tree has been chopped down or cut, or things such as medicinal herbs or forest fruit have been gathered, or mountain animals or mountain birds have been hunted without authorization, they shall be restored or the damage shall be compensated.
Article 47 (Administrative responsibility)
In the following cases, the responsible worker of given institutions, enterprises and organizations and individual citizens shall have administrative punishment imposed according to the circumstances.
1. In cases where interference has been caused to afforestation and protection by not drafting the designs for the forest sector or forestry sector or implementing them correctly
2. In cases where interference has been caused to afforestation and protection by not correctly doing investigation, command, or notification for the true state of forest resources
3. In cases where permits for the use of forest land have been used recklessly
4. In cases where interference has been caused to seedling production and supply by not managing tree nurseries, or not administering or operating them correctly
5. In cases where there is a shortfall in seedling production and supply or in the plan to secure tree seeds
6. In cases where the tree planting plan has not been executed or the survival rate of the planted trees cannot be assured
7. In cases where plantations have been destroyed by things like grass cutting or domestic animal grazing
8. In cases where permission to cut down wood has been used recklessly
9. In cases where the danger of natural damage has been created by not doing erosion control construction correctly
10. In cases where setting up and managing a forest fire prevention line have not been correctly done or a forest fire inspection and notification system has not been adopted
11. In cases where a forest fire has been caused
12. In cases where people were not mobilized in time to extinguish forest fires
13. In cases where damage has been caused to forest resources by not doing forest pests relief correctly
14. In cases where interference has been caused to afforestation and protection by not correctly managing agroforestry business administration candidates
15. In cases where acts of violating forest resources have been condoned or incited
16. In cases where plants and plant seeds have been traded illegally
17. In cases where mountain forest water is taken away or transported without approval
18. In cases where acts in Article 25 have been done
Article 48 (Criminal responsibility)
In cases where an act in Article 47 amounts to a crime, responsible workers of institutions, enterprises and organizations and individual citizens shall have criminal responsibility imposed according to the given provisions of the criminal law.
Last updated 6 December 2020