A report is required before you meet or contact anyone on the North Korean side
Under Article 9-2 of the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Act (남북교류협력에 관한 법률), anyone intending to contact a North Korean resident — by meeting, by communication or by any other means — must report this to the Minister of Unification in advance.
Reports are filed in the government system. This page explains the documents and the steps to prepare; the report itself is submitted online through the
Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation System.
What must be reported
The requirement covers contact with North Korean residents in general, whatever the means or the place: contact by communication such as email, telephone or letter, face-to-face contact in a third country, video meetings and so on. (A few cases, such as separated-family exchanges, are exempt.)
How it is processed
- Preliminary consultation (the Center)We set out the purpose and the means of contact, and review with you whether a report is required and whether sanctions on North Korea are engaged.
- Completing the report formState the purpose, the counterpart, the means and the period of contact, and prepare the supporting documents. The forms can be downloaded below.
- Online submission (Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation System)File electronically in the government system. Processing normally takes up to 7 days from the date of receipt.
- Contact once the notice of acceptance arrivesAfter checking the outcome, make contact within the scope reported, and confirm whether you must also report the results afterwards.
Download the forms
| Form | Format | Download |
|---|---|---|
| Report of Contact with North Korean Residents | HWP·PDF | Download |
| Report on Results of Contact | HWP·PDF | Download |
| Worked example of a contact plan | Download |
Not sure which report applies to you?
Request a consultation online
Tell us about your situation and our staff will work through the required procedure with you.