Kim Jong-un BANS BTS! Mullets, skinny jeans and K-pop bands OUT to keep youth away from 'capitalistic lifestyle'
North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong-un has reportedly issued a new set of rules to keep citizens under control by making them 'hold on to our own lifestyle'. The dictator has banned retro haircuts like mullets as well as ripped and skinny jeans. The decision has reportedly been taken so that the youths do not get influenced by Western culture, which he believes will probably affect his control over the country.
According to an editorial in The Rondong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, people are only allowed to have 15 alternative haircuts approved in the country. The editorial added, “History teaches us a crucial lesson that a country can become vulnerable and eventually collapse like a damp wall regardless of its economic and defence power if we do not hold on to our own lifestyle. We must be wary of even the slightest sign of the capitalistic lifestyle and fight to get rid of them.”
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Along with the unapproved haircuts and ripped jeans, the dictator has also outlawed T-shirts that have slogans, and nose and lip piercings. The Rondong Sinmun’s editorial reportedly came as a warning to youngsters especially over "exotic and decadent" life choices.
As per reports, the new fashion diktats are part of new laws in the East Asian country, which includes banning of South Korean K-pop bands. The nation also declared the use of Chinese medicines in Pyongyang hospitals illegal. It came after an official reportedly lost his life after taking a dose of a medicine called cocarboxylase, which was manufactured in China. Cocarboxylase is used in the treatment of people who suffer from fatigue.
Meanwhile, The Sun reported that a top general has said that the tests of nuclear weapons and missiles could resume soon in North Korea to pressurize the US to roll back sanctions. The official also said that the 37-year-old, who has been the Supreme Leader of North Korea since 2011, may try to push diplomacy with America. Army Gen Paul LaCamera told the Senate Armed Services Committee, “It appears quite [in North Korea] given all the other things that are going on, but I have no doubt that the adversaries in the north ... he is trying to preserve his country and his legacy. If confirmed, one of the things I'll have to monitor is all of his combat capabilities, both conventional, nuclear, and unconventional, that pose a threat to our mission.”
Another report stated that Jong-un has not taken interest in meeting President Joe Biden. A US official said that though several efforts were taken “through several channels starting in mid-February, including in New York”, “to date, we have not received any response from Pyongyang.” The unnamed official also said that Kim's “cold shoulder” response to Biden “raises questions about how Biden will address mounting tensions with Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.”
The cold response has drawn a comparison with Kim's relationship with former President Donald Trump. During the final presidential debate in Nashville, Tennessee, last year, Trump had said: “North Korea, we’re not in a war, we have a good relationship, You know, people don’t understand — having a good relationship with leaders of other countries is a good thing.” On the other hand, Biden had compared the North Korean leader to Adolf Hitler, saying, “That's like saying we had a good relationship with Hitler before he in fact invaded Europe.”