North Korea latest: Kim Jong-un bans leather coat sales amid copycat fright | World | News

Kim Jong-un has banned the sale of leather coats in North Korea in the dictator’s latest bizarre power move. North Korea’s own fashion police are said to have patrolled the secretive country’s streets and confiscated any leather jackets they found. According to a report by Radio Free Asia (RFA), the North Korean leader is unhappy with his citizens trying to emulate his fashion choices after the look of his leather coat won admirers.

It’s still unclear why Kim Jong-un is concerned about the copycat fashion frenzy.

According to a source, a directive from North Korea’s ruling Labor Party issued an explicit directive on the new fashion rules.

A source told RFA: “The youths protested, saying they bought coats with their own money and there was no reason to take them away.

“Police responded to the complaint, saying that wearing clothes designed to look like His Majesty was an ‘impure trend to challenge the authority of the Supreme Dignity’.”

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The source added: “They are instructing the public not to wear leather coats as it is part of the party’s directive to decide who can wear them.”

Leather trench coats became popular in the country in 2019 when Kim Jong-un first wore them in a TV appearance.

Demand surged again after he was spotted wearing another leather coat in a public appearance last week.

According to RFA, local garment manufacturers are starting to import fake leather to make them domestically.

This is not the first fashion crackdown in the secret country.

In May this year, North Korea banned skinny jeans, mullets and certain body piercings as symbols of a “capitalist lifestyle”.

Across the border, the Chinese government is also taking action against what it calls “effeminate men,” or men deemed too effeminate.

In other news, Kim Jong-un, who took control of the country ten years ago, has also removed portraits of his grandfather and father from the backdrop of official gatherings.

This signifies that the North Korean leader is tightening his grip on his own cult of personality at home, according to the Straits Times.