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Friday fun: a DPRK passport

A recent traveler to the DPRK managed to get a picture of the inside of a DPRK passport—sadly not the biographical page, but interesting nonetheless:

dprk-passport.jpg

Click on image for larger view

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This entry was posted on Friday, October 24th, 2008 at 2:22 pm and is filed under Domestic publication. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

  • Michael Rank

    Interestingly the English text is copied straight out of UK passports which state:
    “Her Britannic Majesty’s Secretary of State Requests and requires in the Name of Her Majesty all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance, and to offer the bearer such assistance and protection as may be necessary.”

    I particularly like the way the NKs follow us Brits in using the word “let” in its archaic meaning of “hindrance” as opposed to its modern meaning which is just the opposite!

  • Pingback: Inside A North Korean Passport()

  • dino

    Language on the US passport is similar, but also includes French (as per UN convention choice of languages; I believe that in addition to the native language, either English or French must be used–the US’ native language being English, they had to add French).

    My US passport reads:

    “The Secretary of State of the United States of America hereby requests all whom it may concern to permit the citizen/national of the United States named herein to pass without delay or hindrance and in case of need to give all lawful aid and protection.”

  • I think the passports of most nations contain a message of similar phrasing. Look some of them up on Wikipedia if you’re interested.

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