How to Buy North Korea ID Card Online: Tips and Tricks

Okay, so I tried to get a North Korean ID card. Don’t ask me why, it just seemed like something interesting to try. First, I did a bunch of Googling. Seems like these cards are a big deal over there, they’ve been rolling out new ones with microchips and stuff. I read that South Korea’s also going digital with their IDs, but that’s a whole different story.

I found some talk online about how tough it is to get one of these North Korean IDs. Some folks were saying you practically need a miracle. I also learned about the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea passport. Apparently, getting a North Korean passport is a whole other level of difficult.

Then I started digging into the actual process. From what I could gather, it’s not just about filling out some forms. You need a verified phone number, and not just any number. It has to be a specific type of Korean number, something about KT, LGu+, or SkT. I think you have to walk into one of their stores with your ARC and passport to validate it, but I’m not totally sure.

I stumbled upon some information about a government-designated ID card manufacturer in South Korea called KOMSCO. They seem to be the big shots in making these things. I thought maybe they had a hand in the North Korean ones too, but it’s not clear.

The Real Deal

• Hitting a Wall: Most of my efforts to find a way to buy one online led to dead ends. Lots of warnings about safety and scams, which, honestly, scared me a bit.
• Phone Number Roadblock: The phone number requirement seemed like a major obstacle. I don’t have one of those specific Korean numbers, so that was a big problem.
• Safety Concerns: The more I read, the more I realized this wasn’t just some casual thing. People were saying it’s dangerous, and I definitely didn’t want to end up in a North Korean labor camp or something crazy like that.
• South Korean ID: I looked into the South Korean ID system a bit, just out of curiosity. They’re moving to digital IDs, which is pretty cool. But it didn’t really help me with my North Korean ID quest.

I learned about the resident registration number on South Korean IDs. It’s a 13-digit number, and the first six digits are your birthday. That’s kind of neat, but again, not really relevant to getting a North Korean ID.

In the end, I decided to give up. It was way too complicated, and honestly, pretty risky. It’s definitely not something you can just do on a whim. I might still be curious about it, but I’m not going to try it again. I also learned about a South Korean stamp “46-1,” which apparently means forced deportation. That was enough to scare me off for good. It’s just not worth the trouble or the risk. I don’t know if it is safe, but I’d be careful. Real careful.