Bribes for the travel certificates North Koreans need to move between regions have jumped sharply in Hoeryong, North Hamgyong province, and the government’s own crackdown on corruption is partly to blame for pushing the price up.
A source in North Hamgyong province told Daily NK that bribes for travel certificates in Hoeryong now range from a minimum of 500 Chinese yuan to as much as 2,000 yuan. “In the past, one or two cartons of cigarettes were enough, but now you have to hand over at least 500 yuan,” the source said, adding that the jump is making it harder for lower income people to travel at all.
On Aug. 14, one person paid an official 1,500 yuan while applying for a travel certificate to travel inland for business. In the past, a single carton of cigarettes, worth 100 to 130 yuan, was enough to get quick approval; now that amount is seen as barely a token gesture.
Anti-corruption drive raises the price of a bribe
The main driver behind the rising bribes is North Korea’s own intensified crackdown on corruption. Authorities have tightened enforcement against officials who abuse their power or accept bribes, and have ordered travel certificate issuers to more strictly verify people’s reasons for travel. With officials being dismissed or removed from their posts over bribery cases one after another this year, the people who issue the certificates are reportedly demanding more money to offset the greater risk they now face.
North Koreans must obtain a travel certificate from their city or county Ministry of Social Security office before leaving their registered home region for another area. Family events such as weddings and funerals are typically recognized as valid reasons for travel, but informal issuance for business purposes has become common practice since the 1990s, when the collapse of the state rationing system pushed more people to travel between regions to make a living.
The size of the bribe determines how quickly a certificate is issued. Wholesalers and other well-off people can get one in a day or two by paying 1,000 yuan or more, while those without enough money or connections may wait 10 days to two weeks or longer.
Some people reuse the same travel certificate multiple times. Travelers are supposed to get it stamped by the local Ministry of Social Security office upon arrival at their destination, but some reportedly reuse the same certificate without getting it stamped.
However, the intensified crackdown has made even that riskier. Someone caught without the proper stamp may be able to bribe their way out, but otherwise could be sent to a holding center or even sentenced to labor training.
“If you don’t have money, it’s hard even to travel to sell goods, so you might as well sit at home and starve,” is a common lament among North Koreans, the source said. “Unless officials are given a way to make a living without taking bribes, cracking down on corruption alone won’t make bribery disappear. If anything, the greater risk just pushes bribe amounts higher, and in the end it’s ordinary people who bear that cost.”
Reporting from inside North Korea
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August 27, 2026 at 01:47AM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)