Japanese daily newspaper Mainichi Shimbun reported this morning that North Korea has decided to execute any person who extracts and exports the country’s natural resources without authorization.

Mainichi claims to have discovered the change in a Ministry of People’s Safety (the North Korean police) document it obtained, in which it was declared, “It is unacceptable to extract or trade in any natural resources for profit without the approval of the state,” and, “natural resources should not be sold to other countries at will.”

“Serious infringements will be punishable by death,” it supposedly went on.

Mineral resources such as coal, iron and copper are extracted and exported primarily by the military, agencies linked to the National Defense Commission or foreign currency earning enterprises.

Mainichi Shinmun declared, therefore, “The idea is to rectify the problem of widening inequality and the monopolization of mineral extraction by companies or organizations backed by the People’s Army.”

Meanwhile, Kyodo News also reported on the 9th that North Korea has embarked on a program of price subsidization for key goods.