North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has reportedly outlawed skinny jeans in his latest efforts to keep young people under control.
The despot is said to fear “decadent” Western influence on the country’s youth – amid fears it could cause his regime to crumble.
Ripped and skinny jeans, and extravagant haircuts, are all viewed as signs of an “invasion of capitalistic lifestyle”, it is claimed.
Kim, who is believed to be increasingly anxious about being overthrown, has previously decreed that people found embracing outlandish fashions should be sent to labor camps.
State newspaper The Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the secretive state’s ruling Worker’s Party, launched a fresh appeal for such items to be kept at bay for fear of making the country “collapse like a damp wall”.
It wrote in an editorial at the weekend: “History teaches us a crucial lesson that a country can become vulnerable and eventually collapse like a damp wall regardless of its economic and defense power if we do not hold on to our own lifestyle.”
It continued: “We must be wary of even the slightest sign of the capitalistic lifestyle and fight to get rid of them.”
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Kim regime has introduced stricter punishments for those found in possession of videos made in South Korea.
Dyed hair and piercings are also not acceptable, reports claim.
Kim has also banned “non-socialist” hairstyles mostly “mullets” a hairstyle in which the hair is short on the sides and top and long at the back, with a very limited range of approved haircuts allowed, insiders have said.
Earlier this week, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced that North Korea had withdrawn from the Asian Qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup.
North Korea had won two of their five matches and was fourth place in Group H, which also consists of Turkmenistan, South Korea, Lebanon, and Sri Lanka.
The AFC said the Organizing Committee for FIFA Competitions will now investigate the matter, with details on how North Korea’s exit affects the standings to be announced: “in due course”.
