North Korean authorities were to introduce the death penalty for promoting Zionism and at the same time identify Israel as a "illegal state", which is part of their extreme anti-Israeli rhetoric.
New law or propaganda?
However, independent human rights organisations and North Korean law researchers indicate that access to the official text of the new legislation is very limited. In practice, this means that it is difficult to distinguish a real change in the penal code from a propaganda message that is intended to strengthen the regime's image as an irreconcilable enemy of Israel and the West.
According to reports, North Korea passed a law imposing the death penalty on persons found guilty of promoting Zionism, while condemning Israel as "an illegal state". This decree is part of a wider campaign to delegate Israel by aligning Zionist ideology with a serious death penalty.
Kim Jong-Un, known as Adolf Hitler's keen reader – this fact was first made public in 2013, when he handed out copies of Hitler's book "Mein Kampf" as birthday gifts – seems to be guided by this hard position. Although North Korea does not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Israel, its official rhetoric was historically harsh, describing Israel as a "imperialist satellite" and accusing him of war crimes and nuclear aggression.
This announcement follows earlier statements condemning Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip and Iran. In June, Pyongyang strongly criticized both the United States and Israel, calling their actions "illegal acts of state terrorism" and calling for global condemnation.
Experts say this decree signals North Korea's intention to tighten its anti-Israeli stance by applying stricter legal measures to strengthen ideological rapprochement with Iran and Palestine, while strengthening internal propaganda.
Anti-Israeli line Pjongjangu
North Korea for years does not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel and regularly accuses him of "imperialist" actions and "state terrorism" in the Middle East. In official communications, the regime combines Israeli criticism with US attacks, presenting both states as major enemies of the international order.
Death penalty in North Korea
Even without new regulations on Zionism, North Korea's penal system has already predicted the death penalty for a number of "ideological" offences such as "reactional culture" or criticism of authorities. UN reports and human rights organizations describe executions, among others, for watching South Korean television series, smuggling films or distributing content deemed "enemy to the system".
According to a study of changes in the penal code over recent years, the number of crimes at risk of death has increased, and the state has even more control over the flow of information and contact with abroad. In this context, the inclusion of "Zionism" in the catalogue of forbidden ideologies would be an extension of the existing logic of repression rather than a radical exception.
