I. General Overview

Area: 123,000 square kilometers.
Population: Approximately 25 million people. A single ethnic group, with Korean as the common language. Located in the northern half of the Korean Peninsula in eastern Asia. Bordered by China to the north and northeast, and Russia to the northeast. The average elevation is 440 meters, with mountains accounting for approximately 80% of the country's land area.
Currency: Korean Won

II. Treaty Membership
1. Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks (Madrid Protocol)
Accession: 1996

2.Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks
Accession: 1980

3. Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property (Paris Convention)
Accession: 1980

4. Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)
Accession: 1980

5. Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs (Hague Agreement)
Accession: 1992

III. Trademark Application Procedure and Required Documents
1. Trademark Registrable Elements and Types
Elements that can be registered as trademarks in North Korea include: text, names, graphics, slogans, color combinations, etc.
The types of trademarks that can be registered in North Korea include: trademarks, service marks, collective trademarks, and certification trademarks.

2. Filing Routes
1) National filing (direct filing)
2) Madrid International Registration

3. Required Documents
⦁ Power of attorney;
⦁ Notarized business license of the company;
⦁ Trademark registration application form;
⦁ List of goods and/or services;
⦁ Clear representation of the mark;
⦁ If priority is claimed, a certified copy of the priority document needs to be submitted..

4. Application Procedure and Timeline
Filing: The 11th edition of the Nice Classification is adopted; multiple-class are possible; the principle of first-to-file is followed.
Examination: formal examination and substantive examination; 6 months
Publication /Opposition: The opposition period is 9 months from the date of application.
Registration: About 7 months from filing to registration (if smooth)

5. Protection Period and Renewal:
The validity period is 10 years from the date of registration and can be renewed for 10 years each time before expiration.

6. Assignment
Registered trademarks can be assigned. A power of attorney, a trademark certificate, a notarized assignment agreement, and the original notarized business license are required. The processing period is about 3-6 months.

7. Chang of Name/Address
Trademark changes require a power of attorney, a notarized proof of change, and a trademark certificate, and the processing period is approximately 3-6 months.

8. Cancellation:
Non-use Cancellation: If a trademark has not been used for three consecutive years, any interested party may file a cancellation request for the non-used trademark.

IV. Trademark application statistics *:
A: Statistics on total trademark applications:
2020: -
2021: -
2022:3693

B: Statistics of trademark applications from China:
2020:427
2021:293
2022:241