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Topics: North Korea, World News
Anish Vij
North Korea is ramping up its crackdown on what they consider to be 'capitalist' fashion.
From having dyed hair to wearing skinny jeans, dressing how you want in North Korea has always been frowned upon.
Well, an unnamed source speaking to Radio Free Asia has claimed that the the country's Socialist Patriotic Youth League are targeting women in their 20s and 30s.
A resident of the city of Hamhung in the eastern province of South Hamgyong told the non-profit: "At the end of last month, the Socialist Patriotic Youth League held an educational session nationwide, where they defined the act of imitating foreign fashion and hairstyles as ‘capitalist flair,’ and examples of ‘anti-socialist practices."
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The source remained unnamed due to security reasons.
They added: "The youth league’s patrols are cracking down on young people who wear long hair down to their waists, and those who dye their hair brown, as well as people who wear clothes with large foreign letters and women who wear tight pants.
"This time the crackdown mainly targets women in their 20s and 30s. If they are caught, they are made to wait on the side of the road until the patrols can finish their crackdown in that area.
"Only then will they be taken to the youth league office in the district, where they must write letters confessing their crimes."
She continued: "They must then contact someone at home to bring acceptable clothes for them, and then they are released.
"If they are caught, the company they work for and the Socialist Patriotic Youth League will be notified.
"They are then subject to criticism and in the most severe cases, the violator’s name, home address and workplace will be revealed publicly on the Third Broadcast.
"Even though they have these kinds of crackdowns all the time, the young people do not stop trying to look and dress like people in foreign films and TV."
The North Korean government is also reportedly trying to suppress what it classes as illegal capitalistic activities.
An official in Chongjin also said: "Recent arrests here in Chongjin caught five property brokers who illegally facilitated state-owned housing transactions and collected fees for their services. Meanwhile, six fortune tellers and a fake medicine seller were also arrested. The guy selling fake traditional medicines claimed they could treat diseases.
"Everyone was sentenced five to seven years of hard labor and put in jail."
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