The Supreme People’s Assembly, North Korea’s rubber-stamp parliament, passed a new law against fraudulent reporting last year, and the recent publication of the full text makes clear that deceit has become a ubiquitous part of life in the DPRK.

Literally translated as the Bluffing Prevention Act, the law seeks to outlaw lying in the country, a signal that a system with severe punishments for poor performance and where accurate information is difficult to obtain struggles with honest communication. 

An NK Pro analysis reveals: