North Korea Bans Leather Coats! The look of the ruler Kim Jong-un should not be copied.
Pyongyang – Shaved sides, dark glasses and now and then a leather trench coat: Kim Jong-un, the ruler of North Korea, is now claiming exclusivity on his style. The communist regime has therefore introduced a new ban.
Since then, the population has been banned from wearing leather trench coats. Because it is disrespectful to imitate the fashion decisions of the head of state Kim Jong-un, Newsweek quoted North Korean authorities as saying.
Leather coats: Kim Jong-Un’s style has been popular in North Korea since 2019
Leather coats as such made their way into North Korea in the early 2000s. You have been featured in films since then. The style of the ruler Kim Jong-un has only enriched the garment since 2019.
At that time he showed himself for the first time on North Korean television in the new leather coat style, as Newsweek reports. Sources from the US-funded Radio Free Asia media corporation confirm that the leather coats, which have now been banned, have become popular with the population since they appeared on television.
The style of those in power: In North Korea, the party decides who is allowed to wear leather
Leather coats are a symbol of power in North Korea and are mainly worn by the elite. In the military parade for the 8th party congress in January 2021, all high-ranking officials except Kim Jong-un wore the rulers style.
Among them were some influential women, among them Kim Jong-uns sister Kim Yo-jong, as reported by Radio Free Asia. Kim Yo-jong was only accepted into North Korea’s highest decision-making body in September 2021. The public is instructed not to wear leather coats, as part of the party’s directive is to decide who is allowed to wear them, according to a source, anonymized for security reasons, told Radio Free Asia.
Raids against leather coats: The police in North Korea confiscate rulers-style coats
As part of the ban, the police are patrolling the markets in North Korea. The officials: inside confiscate all coats that match the style of Kim Jong-uns leather coat, as reported by Radio Free Asia. Leather coats in the style of rulers are confiscated from private individuals as well as directly from dealers. That an extremely repressive state apparatus is taking action against its own population in North Korea is shown not least by the execution of a “squid game” smuggler.
Young men protest, saying that they bought the coats with their own money and there is no reason to take them away
In North Korea, leather coats are expensive. In 2018, the average monthly salary in North Korea was around 4,000 won, according to the South Korean newspaper Korea Joongang Daily. That is a little less than three euros. A real leather coat in the style of Kim Jong-un costs around 170,000 won (around 90 euros). The rulers’ style made of synthetic leather costs around 80,000 won (around 60 euros). Confiscation hits those affected accordingly hard. (Lucas Maier)
