The Kim Dynasty
What is true is that in many ways the youngest Kim is just following the steps of his father, Kim Jong-il, and his grandfather, Kim Il-sung. The three generations of the Kim family have ruled North Korea since its foundation in 1945.
Like father, like son
Kim Jong-il, who led North Korea from 1993 until his death in 2011, was described by The New York Times as a leader who “presided with an iron hand over a country he kept on the edge of starvation and collapse”. He was known as much for his eccentricity than for his autocracy.
Let’s Trim Our Hair in Accordance with The Socialist Lifestyle
Despite Kim Jong-il’s love with western media, such as James Bond movies, he was wary of its influence. The BBC reported in 2005 a North Korean TV show called ‘Let’s Trim Our Hair in Accordance with The Socialist Lifestyle.’ Pictured: a salon poster in Pyongyang displaying government-approved haircuts.
A dystopian reality show
The television program claimed that long hair had a negative effect on the male brain, sucking important nutrients. It also shared the names and addresses of wrongdoers recorded on the street, so they could be publicly shamed.
Symbols of capitalist lifestyle
North Korea continues to heavily regulate the fashion of its citizens. South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported in May that Kim Jong-un banned skinny jeans and some piercings, branding them as symbols of “capitalist lifestyle.”
It’s the real thing
A symbol of capitalism you won’t find in North Korea? Coca-Cola. The American soda brand, one of the most easily recognizable products worldwide, isn’t available in only two countries: Cuba and North Korea.
Unprotected
Fashion is hardly the only thing that is restricted. North Korea also has a ban on contraceptives. Reportedly, this is an attempt to reverse the country’s falling birth rate. However, a 2019 United Nations report points out that more women there use contraceptives than their South Korean counterparts, despite being illegal.
That time of the month
Something that also affects North Korean women is the lack of sanitary pads and other women’s hygiene products in the country. According to a female defector that was interviewed by the BBC, women tend to make their own pads out of cotton and reuse them as much as possible.
North Korea’s best (and only) internet service
Cellphones, so ubiquitous in today’s world, are also a novel commodity in North Korea. They only have been legal since 2008. The country uses its own walled-off national intranet service called Kwangmyong. Internet access is limited to foreigners and the elite.
Not many options, anyway
According to the New York Post, North Korean internet users have access to less than 30 websites.
As long as North Korea remains disconnected from the outside world, the lives of everyday citizens remain a mystery. News from the hermit kingdom will always have an element of hearsay and exoticism.
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By: Miss Cherry May Timbol – Independent Reporter
