Editing North Korea (section)

===Law enforcement and internal security===
{{Main|Law enforcement in North Korea}}
{{See also|Law of North Korea|Judiciary of North Korea}}
[[File:Police car outside Okryu Restaurant.jpg|thumb|A North Korean police car in 2017; the [[Chosŏn'gŭl]] lettering on the side translates to "Traffic safety".]]
North Korea has a [[Civil law (legal system)|civil law]] system based on the [[General State Laws for the Prussian States|Prussian model]] and influenced by Japanese traditions and communist legal theory.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2100.html#kn |title=Legal System field listing |publisher=CIA The World Factbook |access-date=18 May 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518174611/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2100.html |archive-date=18 May 2014 }}</ref> Judiciary procedures are handled by the [[Central Court (North Korea)|Central Court]] (the highest [[court of appeal]]), provincial or special city-level courts, people's courts, and special courts. People's courts are at the lowest level of the system and operate in cities, counties and urban districts, while different kinds of special courts handle cases related to military, railroad, or maritime matters.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=274}}

Judges are elected by their respective local people's assemblies, but this vote tends to be overruled by the Workers' Party of Korea. The [[penal code]] is based on the principle of ''[[Nulla poena sine lege|nullum crimen sine lege]]'' (no crime without a law), but remains a tool for political control despite several amendments reducing ideological influence.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=274}} Courts carry out legal procedures related to not only criminal and civil matters, but also political cases as well.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=201}} Political prisoners are sent to [[labor camp]]s, while criminal offenders are incarcerated in a separate system.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/19/AR2009071902178.html|title=Outside World Turns Blind Eye to N. Korea's Hard-Labor Camps|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=20 July 2009 |access-date=19 May 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100919191331/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/19/AR2009071902178.html |archive-date=19 September 2010}}</ref>

The [[Ministry of Social Security (North Korea)|Ministry of Social Security]] maintains most law enforcement activities. It is one of the most powerful state institutions in North Korea and oversees the national police force, investigates criminal cases and manages non-political correctional facilities.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=276}} It handles other aspects of domestic security like civil registration, traffic control, fire departments and railroad security.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=277}} The [[Ministry of State Security (North Korea)|Ministry of State Security]] was separated from the Ministry of Public Security in 1973 to conduct domestic and foreign intelligence, counterintelligence and manage the political prison system. Political camps can be short-term reeducation zones or "[[kwalliso]]" (total control zones) for lifetime detention.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|pp=277–278}} [[Yodok concentration camp|Camp 15 in Yodok]]<ref name=csw >{{cite web|title=North Korea: A case to answer – a call to act|pages=25–26|work=Christian Solidarity Worldwide|date=20 June 2007|url=http://docs-eu.livesiteadmin.com/c8880e0f-f6ed-4585-8f09-4e4b6d11e698/north-korea-a-case-to-answer-a-call-to-act.pdf|access-date=10 April 2012|archive-date=21 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021204741/http://docs-eu.livesiteadmin.com/c8880e0f-f6ed-4585-8f09-4e4b6d11e698/north-korea-a-case-to-answer-a-call-to-act.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[Pukchang concentration camp|Camp 18 in Pukchang]]<ref name=sub_ihr>{{cite web|title=Subcommittee on International Human Rights, 40th Parliament, 3rd session, February 1, 2011: Testimony of Ms. Hye Sook Kim|work=Parliament of Canada|url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=4916717&Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=40&Ses=3#Int-3706941 |access-date=22 April 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121112012047/http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=4916717&Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=40&Ses=3 |archive-date=12 November 2012}}</ref> have been described in detailed testimonies.<ref name="hrnk2">{{cite web |title=The Hidden Gulag – Exposing Crimes against Humanity in North Korea's Vast Prison System |url=http://www.hrnk.org/uploads/pdfs/HRNK_HiddenGulag2_Web_5-18.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150313045221/http://www.hrnk.org/uploads/pdfs/HRNK_HiddenGulag2_Web_5-18.pdf |archive-date=13 March 2015 |access-date=14 September 2012 |work=The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea}}</ref>

The security apparatus is extensive,{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=272}} exerting strict control over residence, travel, employment, clothing, food and family life.{{Sfn|Country Study|2009|p=273}} Security forces employ [[Mass surveillance in North Korea|mass surveillance]]. It is believed they tightly monitor cellular and digital communications.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://uskoreainstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Kim-Yonho-Cell-Phones-in-North-Korea.pdf|title=Cell Phones in North Korea|author=Kim Yonho|pages=35–38|year=2014 |access-date=3 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140607005720/http://uskoreainstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Kim-Yonho-Cell-Phones-in-North-Korea.pdf |archive-date=7 June 2014}}</ref>

North Korea has updated its constitution, labeling South Korea as a "hostile state" and abandoning its previous goal of peaceful reunification. This shift coincides with the destruction of inter-Korean connections and increased border defenses.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-10-17 |title=North Korea says its revised constitution defines South Korea as 'hostile state' for first time|language=en|work=Independent|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/north-korea-ap-south-korea-kim-jong-un-seoul-b2630597.html|access-date=2024-10-17}}</ref>