All real estate in North Korea, which has advocated a socialist planned economy, is owned by the state, and the cooperative organizations, and law prohibits private ownership or transfer of property. In particular, land is regarded as a base of life a...
All real estate in North Korea, which has advocated a socialist planned economy, is owned by the state, and the cooperative organizations, and law prohibits private ownership or transfer of property. In particular, land is regarded as a base of life and a valuable asset of the country to be handed down to the next generation; therefore, it has been tightly controlled under the socialist planned economy system. However, the economic crisis in North Korea prompted a change in this situation, resulting in its residents viewing real estate from a new perspective in a changed economic paradigm.
This paper intends to identify and examine the standards used to assess real estate; this in turn determines the basis of collection of real estate fees in North Korea and how these fees are calculated. Hence, this study focused on the July 1 Economic Measures of 2002, the introduction of real estate fees in 2006, and the promulgation of the Real Estate Management Act in 2009. It also involved examining articles pertaining to each period, published in Economic Studies and Journal of Kim Il Sung University (two state-owned economic journals in North Korea), and analyzed laws related to real estate management.
The introduction of real estate usage fees in North Korea began with land usage fees introduced for the first time after the 2002 “7·1 Economic Measures”. In July 2002 the North Korea presidential cabinet began started to collect land use fees for taxation according to a cabinet decision, and its real estate management system began to change in the following ways. First, the country was exploring a new method to recover from a serious economic downturn and to improve the condition of its finances. Second, the economic crisis allowed the country to introduce and justify real estate fees, and since then, the country has attempted to rationalize them. Third, it further consolidated its control mechanism with regard to real estate, created the Real Estate Management Act (2009) to establish a legal basis to collect real estate fees, and is also pursuing other practical measures in the same vein.
The real estate price quoted in North Korea has a limited purpose—it is “the price not to sell and buy real estate but to be used as the basis to determine real estate fees.” In other words, real estate prices are not used for trade but as a way to evaluate the status of real estate. Real estate prices are determined in two ways. Firstly, real estate is assessed according to its utility, which is determined by the fees. Second, real estate is assessed differently according to its use—specific use, purpose, and location. For example, it is assessed differently from other types of real estate according to its characteristics, economic effectiveness, usefulness, and demand, and then its price is determined. The law stipulates that real estate fees be calculated based on the price determined at a “fixed rate.”
Finally, the perception of the real estate sector in North Korea is gradually deviating from that of a traditional socialist economic system to a market economy system. In short, while private ownership of real estate (except houses) is rejected, an effort is being made to resolve disparities between the changed reality and the current demand-related conditions with regard to real estate ownership. This is because of the structural characteristics of North Korea’s socialist system, with its deeply-rooted socialist philosophy, which prohibits private ownership. However, a shift in perception would mark the beginning of the gradual introduction of real estate privatization policies and real estate reforms.