Taesongsan Copyright Agency

The Taesongsan Copyright Agency (TCA) is located in Central District of Pyongyang.

It is a non-governmental organization to protect the rights of copyright owners (or related agencies) at home and abroad and hold procuration (in criminal and civil procedures) in commission for them.

The DPRK joined the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 1974 and signed the Paris Convention, the Patent Cooperation Treaty and the Madrid Convention.

The TCA, under the legal protection of the DPRK, conducts its mission of a copyright agency in accordance with the Copyright Act of the DPRK and international treaties and conventions.

It boosts the creative potential and zeal of all authors both at home and abroad, provides them with convenience in their writing and life, and protects their personal (moral) rights and ownership. It introduces foreign publishing houses and copyright holders that hope for cultural exchanges and publishing activities with the DPRK, and acts as an agent for them (registration, protection, authorization, transfer and publicity of copyrights and trademarks, etc.).

It also introduces, through websites, the comprehensive list of copyrighted works and summaries of bestsellers of the DPRK abroad. Up to now, it has posted many popular copyrighted works, including “Illusory Korean vocabularies”, illustrated books “Cultivating Wisdom” (20 volumes), illustrated books of stories about historical figures of Korea “Tangun” (five volumes), etc.

It assists foreign copyright holders in registering and protecting their rights in the DPRK. Entrusted by publishing houses, it undertakes copyright transfer and licensing for translating and publishing latest sci-tech books and other books on sports, history, culture and common sense and world-famous works into Korean or other foreign languages.

In recent years, it conducted the work to translate a Korean medium-length novel “Friend” and a collection of short stories “Laughter of 17 persons” in French in cooperation with the Actes Sud, a publishing house of France, and transferred the copyrights of some works for their translation and publication in French.

It authorized the printing organs of China and other countries to publish some copyrighted works of our country.

Our agency strictly adheres to the credit-first policy, kindliness and profitability. We will conduct the copyright agency business in conformity to the agency system of the DPRK, thereby making a tangible contribution to building a socialist civilization, improving the material and cultural life of people and increasing the intellectual assets of the country.

Jong Won Ryong, manager of the Taesongsan Copyright Agency