Suggested citations
AGLC4 | 사회주의로동법 2015 [Socialist Labour Law of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (2015)] [tr Daye Gang].
Bluebook | Sahoejuui Lodongbeob 2015 [Socialist Labour 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 April 18, Juche 67 (1978), as Law No. 2 of the Supreme People’s Assembly
Amended on February 20, Juche 75 (1986), as Directive No. 2494 of the Central People’s Committee
Amended on June 16, Juche 88 (1999), as Directive No. 803-1 of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly
Amended on June 30, Juche 104 (2015), as Directive No. 566 of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly
CHAPTER I. BASIC PRINCIPLES OF SOCIALIST LABOUR
Article 1
Labour under socialism is the independence of workers who have been liberated and is creative labour. In the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the workers shall work with conscious enthusiasm and creative power for the nation’s prosperity, the well-being of the people, and for their own well-being.
Article 2
Labour is the source of all material and cultural wealth and is a powerful means to remodel nature, society and humans. Socialism and communism is constructed by relying upon the creative labour of millions of working people. In the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, labour is the most sacred and honourable thing.
Article 3
Under socialism, labour is collective labour of the workers for the purposes and benefit of the public. Workers of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea shall work jointly to help and lead each other from the collectivist principle of “all for one, one for all”.
Article 4
Under socialism, citizens bear a duty to participate in labour. All citizens who are competent for labour in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea shall participate in societal labour according to their ability.
Article 5
Under socialism, all workers have the right to work. Unemployment has disappeared forever in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. All workers shall choose a job according to their wishes and abilities and shall be guaranteed stable work positions and labour conditions by the State.
Article 6
Labour under socialism is based on the high self-awareness of the workers as the owners of the country and society, and the owners of revolution and construction. The State shall strengthen ideological revolution to strongly arm workers with the Juche ideology of the Korea Workers’ Party, and shall ensure that workers take an owner-like attitude to labour.
Article 7
It is the compulsory requirement of socialist and communist construction to eliminate the fundamental differences of labour and make labour an enjoyable thing and a requirement of the standard of life of workers. The State shall push forward the technological revolution to eliminate the difference in heavy labour and light labour and difference in agricultural labour and industrial labour, shall liberate workers from arduous labour, and shall gradually decrease the difference in physical labour and mental labour.
Article 8
Raising the universal cultural and technical levels of the workers shall foster socialist construction and is the resolute guarantee to grow workers into competent builders of socialism and communism. The State shall guarantee in totality every condition for all workers to be able to study while working through an advanced educational system and people-oriented educational measures.
Article 9
Ceaselessly raising labour productivity and developing production at a fast speed are legitimate requirements of socialist and communist construction. The State shall foster the three ideological, technical, and cultural revolutions, deepen and develop the Chollima Movement, prioritize political work, and do economic organization work well to guarantee the fast development of high growth in labour productivity and of production.
Article 10
Under socialism, labour is societal labour conducted in a single complete socialist economic system. The State shall organize societal labour rationally and in a planned way within the scope of the whole national economy according to the unified, detailed policy of plans.
Article 11
All material and cultural wealth in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea that is realized by relying upon labour shall be fully returned to the development of wealth and power of the country and the promotion of the well-being of the workers. The State shall correctly execute the Socialist Law of Distribution according to the volume and quality of labour and shall ceaselessly raise the material and cultural standards of workers.
Article 12
Correctly combining labour and rest and protecting the labour of workers is the fundamental character requirement of a socialist system that considers people to be the most precious. The State shall guarantee sufficient rest so that workers can recover their strength spent in the labour process, and shall protect the lives and health of workers through universal free medical service and an advanced labour protection system.
Article 13
The socialist labour policy of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea embodies the revolutionary labour doctrine produced during the time of the glorious anti-Japanese revolutionary struggle, and is the noble gains of revolution accomplished through the struggle to realize the democratic revolution and the socialist revolution. The State shall further develop socialist labour policy, shall be people-oriented in national scope, and shall struggle to execute a democratic labour policy.
CHAPTER II. LABOUR IS THE SACRED DUTY OF CITIZENS
Article 14
The workers of the Democratic People’s Republic are the people in charge of the revolution struggling to realize the ideals of communism. Loving labour and participating responsibly in labour is the honour of citizens and their most sacred duty. Citizens must voluntarily participate in worthwhile labour for socialist and communist construction.
Article 15
The working age in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is from 16 years. The State shall prohibit the labour of children who have not reached working age.
Article 16
The daily working hours of workers is 8 hours. The State shall make daily working hours 7 hours or 6 hours according to the arduous trades and special categories of labour. The daily working hours of female labourers who have more than three children shall be 6 hours.
Article 17
Workers shall revolutionize themselves and make themselves working class through labour, and must work as if they are the owners by highly displaying a communist attitude to labour and the revolutionary spirit of self-sufficiency.
Article 18
Socialist labour discipline is conscious strict discipline, and thoroughly keeping to socialist labour discipline is the appropriate duty of workers. Workers must abide strictly by socialist labour discipline and working hours and may not desert their workplace at will without going through the formalities as instituted.
Article 19
Strongly opening up a technological revolution is the duty of socialist working people. Workers shall raise their technical ability level and shall actively participate in the technical innovation movement to ceaselessly create new standards and must produce and construct more in a unit of time.
Article 20
Workers shall have high pride and responsibility for their work, shall display all wisdom and stamina, and must find every reserve and possibility to perform more than their entrusted planning order without fail by day, by month, and by period.
Article 21
Workers shall work with economical attitudes to work, and shall ceaselessly raise the quality of produced goods abiding correctly to technical regulations and standard operating manuals in production and construction.
Article 22
Workers shall value and love the equipment and facilities that they manage like the own pupils of their eyes, shall raise the rate of usage of facilities, and shall economize raw materials and resources to the utmost.
Article 23
Workers shall manage their workplaces to be culturally hygienic, shall maintain them with alertness, and must prevent accidents in advance by strictly abiding by labour protection regulations.
Article 24
The status of citizens in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is regulated by relying upon the sincerity of their labour. People who are role models in labour shall receive the love and high respect of the people. Labourers who have participated in labour as if they are the owners and have made great achievements in socialist construction with their efforts shall receive commendations from the State including the title of labour effort hero and titles of honour.
CHAPTER III. SOCIALIST ORGANIZATION OF LABOUR
Article 25
Rationally organizing societal labour is an important guarantee to ensure the constant high growth of production by mobilizing the labour resources of the country without exception and by actively promoting the creative fervour and abilities of the workers. The State shall mobilize and use all the labour resources of the provinces, cities and farming areas in a standardized way.
Article 26
The State shall thoroughly attain the requirements of the Taean Work System in societal labour organization. Factories, enterprises, and social, cooperative organizations shall transition labour administration work to work with people, shall embody the mass line in the organization of labour, and must scientifically and rationally use labour.
Article 27
Creating a labour plan is the foundation for correctly organizing labour and effectively mobilizing labour resources. The State shall draft and execute a realistic and mobilization-oriented labour plan that correctly interconnects the labour source and demands of the country down to the detailed parts.
Article 28
The State shall resolutely adhere to the principle of guaranteeing labour balance between the industrial, agricultural and production sectors, demanufacturing sector, basic production sector and auxiliary production sector. State organs, enterprises, and social, cooperative organizations including labour administration institutions shall guarantee the preferential growth of the number of labourers in the production sector, and shall assign labour from the principle of regulating the number of labourers in the demanufacturing sector in conformity with of the economic development levels of the country, and must systematically raise the relative importance of labour in direct production sectors.
Article 29
The State shall actively mobilize the labour source of the country and shall systematically nurture the younger generation of labour to satisfy the labour demands of the national economy in a planned way. Economic institutions and labour administration institutions at leach level shall adopt a labour supplementation adjustment plan in conformity with the requirements of the economic policy of the State to guarantee at the right time labour demand predicted in the development of the national economy, and must correctly adjust and place labour in the sectors and areas of the national economy.
Article 30
State organs, enterprises, and social, cooperative organizations must place labour in the right place so that workers can show their creative wisdom and abilities to the utmost in conformity with their gender, age, constitution, wishes, and technical ability levels.
Article 31
The State shall guarantee every condition so that female workers can actively participate in societal labour. Local political institutions and relevant State organs, enterprises, and social, cooperative organizations must manage creches, kindergartens, paediatric wards and and amenities so that women can work conveniently, and must organize things such as domestic labour units and domestic cooperatives so that women who cannot go out to the workplace can work according to their wishes.
Article 32
Factories, enterprises, and social, cooperative organizations shall organize labour correctly in conformity with things such as the nature of the production process, technical equipment levels, and working conditions, shall thoroughly adopt labour management order and sufficiently guarantee labour conditions, and shall eliminate labour wastage so workers completely use their 480 minutes of working hours.
Article 33
In organising the labour standards of life, the State shall thoroughly attain the principle of workers working for 8 hours, resting for 8 hours, and learning for 8 hours. State organs, enterprises, and social, cooperative organizations shall correctly combine labour, rest and education to regularize the labour of workers, normalize education and guarantee rest well.
Article 34
When labour is temporarily left over due to unavoidable circumstances, State organs and enterprises, they must organize temporary support work for the productive work for other factories, enterprises and cooperative farms at the right time. State organs and enterprises may not expel labourers at will only because labour is temporarily left over.
Article 35
Factories, enterprises, and cooperative farms are strictly prohibited from mobilizing labour for other work at will. The production labour of factories and enterprises may not be mobilized for other work without the approval of the State. During farming season, no one may mobilize farm workers for work not related to farming.
Article 36
Supervisors of factories, enterprises, and cooperative farms must compulsorily participate in production labour for the period regulated by law.
CHAPTER IV. SOCIALIST DISTRIBUTION ACCORDING TO LABOUR
Article 37
Distribution by relying upon the volume and quality of labour is a socialist economic law and distribution according to labour is a powerful means of raising the production will and technical ability level of workers and fostering the development of productive capacity. The State shall ceaselessly raise the political and ideological consciousness of workers and shall thoroughly attain the Socialist Law of Distribution according to the volume and quality of labour. Workers shall receive the same remuneration for the same labour regardless of gender, age or race.
Article 38
The State shall compensate workers for the physical and mental strength they spend in the labour process and shall determine a living expenses rating system from the principle of guaranteeing their standard of life. State organs, enterprises, and social, cooperative organizations shall correctly pay the living expenses of labourers, clerks and cooperative members grounded upon the living expenses rating system instituted by the State and the principle of payment of living expenses.
Article 39
The basic form of living expenses applied to labourers, clerks, and cooperative members are the fixed fee system and the wages system, and the supplementary form of living expenses is the bonus system and the reward system. State organs, enterprises, and social, cooperative organizations must correctly impose the living expenses payment form to further raise the production will of the workers and so that their innovation and initiative can be actively promoted.
Article 40
The State shall distribute living expenses funds to factories and enterprises according to the principle of self-financing based on correctly evaluating the production plan of goods by indicator and the execution of cost plans by factories and enterprises. Factories and enterprises shall correctly evaluate things such as production plan reports on implementation, the quality of products, and the usage of facilities and resources and must supplementarily pay incentives to workers who have done their work well.
Article 41
Labor quotas are the yardstick for evaluating the results of labour, and correctly determining labor quotas is an important condition to allow the Socialist Law of Distribution to be correctly applied. The State shall resolutely adhere to the mass line in labor quota work, and shall attain a principle of instituting labor quotas based on correctly calculating things like the ideological consciousness level, technical ability level, and results in new scientific techniques of workers.
Article 42
The State shall regularize and standardize the management of enterprises by each national economic sector in conformity with the requirements of the Taean Work System to manage standard factories where production has been normalized, and shall institute State standard labor quotas based on the material measured there. State organs, enterprises, and social, cooperative organizations shall use State standard labor quotas as a ruler to determine scientific and advanced labor quotas in conformity with actual reality and detailed state, and shall apply them correctly and must update them ceaselessly.
Article 43
Labour work is a yardstick that regulates distribution portions and evaluates the labour results of members of the cooperative farm and workers serving in cooperative farms. Cooperative farms shall correctly evaluate labour work, shall regularly publicise it, and shall make correct distributions following the labour work of members of the cooperative farm and workers serving in cooperative farms.
Article 44
The work unit management system and the work unit preferential system are important guarantees for incubating a collectivist mentality within agricultural workers and allow the correct attainment of the Socialist Law of Distribution. Agricultural guidance institution and cooperative farms shall execute the work unit management system and the work unit preferential system to correctly evaluate labour work and correctly apply supplementary remuneration.
Article 45
The State shall rationally adjust the proportion of living expenses for all sector labourers and clerks based on the rise in industrial and agricultural development and labour productivity, shall uniformly raise the income of peasants in different zones, and shall resolutely adhere to the principle of universally raising the standards of life of labourers, clerks and peasants in a balanced way.
CHAPTER V. IMPROVEMENT IN TECHNICAL ABILITY OF LABOUR, THE TECHNICAL REVOLUTION, AND WORKERS
Article 46
Eliminating fundamental differences in labour and liberating workers from arduous labour is the central task of the technological revolution. The State shall develop the technological revolution to a new high stage based on the results of socialist industrialization, shall liberate workers who have been liberated from exploitation and pressure from the confinements of nature also, and shall struggle to guarantee complete equality in their working lives.
Article 47
The State shall execute in totality mechanization, semi-automation and automation in many sectors of the national economy, including industry to eliminate the difference between heavy labour and light labour, and high-temperature labour and harmful labour.
Article 48
The State shall strongly foster the rural technical revolution, shall further consolidate the results of irrigation and electrification on the agricultural economy, shall quickly complete chemical use and comprehensive mechanization to realize the industrialization and modernization of agriculture, and shall eliminate the difference between agricultural labour and industrial labour.
Article 49
Scientists, technical experts and producers shall strengthen creative cooperation to open up .. the technological innovation movement to the masses. State institutions, enterprises, and social, cooperative organizations shall actively encourage original designs and rationalizing movements, and must accept original designs and rationalization proposals for production at the right time. The State shall grant State benefits to inventors, innovators and production innovators who have served national economic development greatly, and shall give them technical qualifications.
Article 50
The State shall, together with an education system that specializes in study, grow all workers into learning the newest scientific techniques, operate modern machine equipment well, and make them competent experts able to skillfully administer and operate the national economy, through factory universities and farm universities, factory professional high schools, farm professional high schools, and night school and distance education such as study while working, and other different forms of education systems.
Article 51
State organs, enterprises, and social, cooperative organizations shall correctly adopt a technical ability education system and a abilities-based whole learning system to systematically raise the technical ability level of workers, and must ensure that all workers own more than one modern technique, and be well-versed in the machine equipment he or she operates and the techniques of his or her sector.
Article 52
The State shall execute operating grades and an ability grade classification examination system for the improvement in technical ability of the workers. The scientific and technical administration institution and the labour administration institution shall regularly organize and implement operating grades and the ability grade classification examination system.
CHAPTER VI. LABOUR PROTECTION
Article 53
Doing labour protection work well is an important condition for making free, safe and more culturally hygienic labour conditions for workers, and protecting and promoting their life and health. The State shall thoroughly attain policies that prioritize labour protection work in production.
Article 54
State organs, enterprises, and social, cooperative organizations must adopt a labour safety education working system and educate workers in labour protection policy and technical knowledge for labour safety to resolutely transition labour protection work into the own work of the masses. No one may put workers to work without educating them about labour protection policy and the technical knowledge on labour safety of the given sector.
Article 55
Assuring workers safe and culturally hygienic labour conditions is the first work of all State organs, enterprises, and social, cooperative organizations. State organs, enterprises, and social, cooperative organizations shall have labour safety facilities, prevent things such as high temperatures, gas, and dust, have work hygiene conditions that well assure things such as lighting, spotlights and ventilation, ceaselessly improve and fully equip those things to prevent labour disasters and workplace diseases in advance, and ensure that all workers can work in a safe and culturally hygienic workplace.
Article 56
State organs, enterprises, and social, cooperative organizations shall investigate in detail the labour safety state before production and organization of work, and must eliminate dangerous sections that may harm the life and health of workers. When a risk of accident has been created in the production process, production must immediately be stopped and the dangerous section must be serviced before production is continued.
Article 57
The construction and design institution and relevant State organs and enterprises must thoroughly have labour protection conditions for the workers in factories, enterprises, buildings, the construction of structures, and the manufacture of machine equipment. Newly built, extended or maintained factories, enterprises, buildings, structures and newly manufactured machine equipment may not be put to work or operated without receiving the pre-delivery inspection or permission of the relevant inspection and supervision institution.
Article 58
State organs, enterprises, and social, cooperative organizations must regularly organize examinations for the health protection of workers and must take the necessary measures for workers’ health at the right time.
Article 59
The State shall pay special attention to labour protection work for female workers. State organs, enterprises, and social, cooperative organizations must hold sufficient labour protection and hygiene facilities for female workers. Women must not be given work that is strenuous and harmful to their health, and female workers who have breastfeeding children or are pregnant may not be ordered to do night labour.
Article 60
The State shall assure labour protection kits to workers, and shall supply without costs essential work equipment and nutritional supplements. Workers must use designated labour protection kits and essential work equipment without fail while working and must conserve labour protection supplies to the utmost.
Article 61
State organs, enterprises, and social, cooperative organizations shall adopt strict systems and orders in production, shall make standard operation manuals and labour protection regulations, and must ensure that all workers thoroughly abide by them. The State shall exercise strict control so that there is no phenomenon that causes grave effects on the protection and promotion of the life and health of workers by irresponsibly doing labour protection work.
CHAPTER VII. LABOUR AND REST
Article 62
Workers have the right to relaxation. The State shall guarantee in totality workers’ right to relaxation through things such as the 8 hour labour system, paid leave, accommodation at health resorts and holiday homes at State expense, constantly increasing different cultural facilities.
Article 63
Workers shall rest when daily working hours end. Economic institution and enterprises may not order workers to labour beyond their hours.
Article 64
Workers are guaranteed rest one day a week. Holidays instituted by the State and Sundays shall be days of rest. In cases where State institutions, enterprises, and social, cooperative organizations have required workers to work on a day of rest due to inevitable circumstances, they must absolutely give compensatory time within a week.
Article 65
Labourers, clerks, and members of cooperative farms receive 14 days of ordinary leave every year and between 7 and 21 days of supplementary leave according to occupation.
Article 66
Female workers shall receive maternity leave of 60 days before birth and 180 days after birth beyond ordinary leave and supplementary leave, regardless of length of service.
Article 67
The State shall increase rest spot and vacation spot network in different forms, shall modernize their facilities, and extensively organize things like tourism and sightseeing to satisfy the increasing demands of workers about culture and rest. Relevant State organs and enterprises shall operate workplace rest spots so workers can rest sufficiently while working.
CHAPTER VII. STATE AND SOCIETAL BENEFITS FOR WORKERS
Article 68
The State shall take responsibility for the standard of life of all workers and shall make the guarantee of ceaseless raising of material and cultural standards as the supreme principle of its activities. Workers shall receive many supplementary State and social benefits beyond distribution according to labour.
Article 69
The State shall guarantee useful and cultural homes and lodgements with others. The State shall construct modern houses in the countryside at State expense and shall cause to use members of cooperative farms to use them without cost.
Article 70
The State shall supply food at cheap prices to labourers, clerks and their dependent families.
Article 71
The State shall grow children of workers in creches and kindergartens that have modern facilities at the expense of the State and society.
Article 72
The State shall give compulsory education to the children of workers until they reach working age, and shall educate them for free in schools at each level until they reach university.
All students shall be supplied uniforms and textbooks by the State at cheap prices and students at university and professional high schools shall receive scholarships.
Article 73
The State shall give to their workers a temporary subsidy under the State social insurance system if they have temporarily lost labour capacity due to a labour disaster, illness, or injury, and if that period goes over 6 months, a labour capacity loss pension shall be given under the State social security system.
Article 74
The State shall give a senior pension to workers who have reached 60 years for men and 55 years for women in cases where they have provided a term of constant continuous labour.
Article 75
The State shall grant special benefits for merit in labour and societal political activities to people who have done distinguished service to the State, and their families, if they have lost their labour capacity or died.
Article 76
The State and social, cooperative organizations shall give labourers, clerks, and members of cooperative farms the average living expenses or average effort work in the period while on the ordinary leave or supplementary leave period, and during the maternity leave period shall give temporary subsidies or average effort work.
Article 77
If workers have died because of things such as a labour disaster, illness or injury, the State shall give a bereaved family pension to the dependent family who was being supported by them, and the State shall take and raise children who have no people to look after them.
Article 78
The State shall look after for free the elderly and disabled persons who have lost labour capacity and have no people to look after them in nursing homes or community homes.
Article 79
The State shall give to all workers medical benefits as complete free medical care. Labourers, clerks, members of cooperative farms and their dependent families shall receive without cost all medical services such as treatment, recovery, prevention, and childbirth.
Last updated 26 July 2020