Country file

North Korea

EU restrictive measures govern part of trade here. The EU buys almost nothing from this country. Regional benchmarks: East Asia and Pacific.

Relationship with the European Union

No preferential trade agreement with the European Union

No preferential regime applies, and EU restrictive measures prohibit or make subject to authorisation part of the trade: the common tariff alone does not determine what may be bought or sold.

Sources reviewed on 17 September 2026

0.1

million euros of goods purchased by the European Union

2025, full calendar yearEU external trade by product — Eurostat

Economy and sectors

No agreement

No preferential trade agreement with the European Union

trade is governed by standard rules and, where applicable, unilateral preferences that should be verifiedNo preferential regime applies, and EU restrictive measures prohibit or make subject to authorisation part of the trade: the common tariff alone does not determine what may be bought or sold.

Map of trade agreements — European Commission

Third country

regime applicable to European data and access

European framework trackedNo general adequacy decision. The transfer mechanism and its accompanying measures must be chosen according to the actual data flows.

Adequacy decisions — European Commission

Not published

of the population uses the Internet

No comparable national data in the series tracked

Internet use — World Bank / ITU

Economic restrictions

European Union restrictive measures targeting the country

EU Sanctions Map, as at 26 September 2026The EU prohibits or makes subject to authorisation part of trade with this country. Before any contract, check that the goods, the service, the financing and the payment do not fall under any prohibition. Screen the supplier, its directors and its shareholders against the consolidated list of designated persons and entities. Measures in force: asset freezes on designated persons and entities; arms embargo; prohibitions on dual-use goods and technology; prohibitions on importing or exporting certain goods; prohibitions on providing certain services; financial and investment restrictions; air, maritime or road transport restrictions; other regime-specific restrictions.

Council Regulation (EU) 2017/1509

Incidents, fraud and impersonation

secure servers per million inhabitants

2024, latest available figureProviders most often rely on a foreign hosting provider. Ask which one, and under which jurisdiction it operates.

Secure Internet servers — World Bank

Off-channel

independent confirmation of sensitive requests

Cross-cutting controlA change of contact or bank details is confirmed through an already-known channel. This rule applies everywhere, regardless of the published incident volume.

Points to check within your organisation

To be screened

The goods, the service and the payment, before any contract

EU restrictive measures apply to this country or part of its territory. Assess each delivery and each payment against the applicable regulation, and keep a record of party screening: this is what your client or your bank will ask for.

To be scoped

Who actually does the work

The entity that signs is not always the one that does the work. Link the contract to the teams, the sites from which they connect and the subcontractors actually deployed.

To be governed

The transfer tool and what goes with it

Without an adequacy decision, the transfer relies on a contractual tool and on an assessment of the risks in the destination country. Ask which one is already in place, and what it provides for in the event of an access request from a local authority.

To be traced

The host behind the provider

Providers most often rely on a foreign host. Ask which one, under what jurisdiction it operates, and what the contract between them provides for.

Developments to be aware of

The topics that may change your answers

EU restrictive measures

The EU prohibits or makes subject to authorisation part of trade with this country. Before any contract, check that the goods, the service, the financing and the payment do not fall under any prohibition. Screen the supplier, its directors and its shareholders against the consolidated list of designated persons and entities. Measures in force: asset freezes on designated persons and entities; arms embargo; prohibitions on dual-use goods and technology; prohibitions on importing or exporting certain goods; prohibitions on providing certain services; financial and investment restrictions; air, maritime or road transport restrictions; other regime-specific restrictions.

EU Sanctions Map — European Commission

EU–North Korea relationship

No preferential regime applies, and EU restrictive measures prohibit or make subject to authorisation part of the trade: the common tariff alone does not determine what may be bought or sold.

Trade relations by country — European Commission

Data transfers

No general adequacy decision. The transfer mechanism and its accompanying measures must be chosen according to the actual data flows.

Adequacy decisions — European Commission

Export fabric

Export shares retain their year and definition. A missing series remains visible rather than being filled in.

Composition of merchandise exports — World Bank

What this means for your situation

The EU buys almost nothing from this country: customs data says nothing about the supplier you are assessing. Its own file must establish everything.

Official sources

Confidential exchange

Describe your European relationship and the request received.

The North Korea file sets out a country and its relationship with the EU. What remains is to examine what your client expects of you, what your contract provides for, and what your evidence can establish today.

Contact iKNSA