What could help bring about the downfall of North Korea if they're not reined in, according to state media? Mullets and skinny jeans, among other things—which is why Kim Jong Un has apparently banned them, reports Yahoo News. The outlet cites a recent editorial in the state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper, the official paper of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, which says Kim's decree essentially outlaws the slim-fit pants (torn jeans are also a no-no in Kim's eyes, per the New York Daily News) and the mullet haircut, which features shorter hair in the front and longer hair in the back—not one of the 15 alternative haircuts allowed in North Korea. The mandate was reportedly issued due to the leader's fears that the Western world's "decadent" influence would affect young people in his country and threaten his regime, the editorial notes.
"History teaches us a crucial lesson that a country can become vulnerable and eventually collapse like a damp wall, regardless of its economic and defense power, if we do not hold on to our own lifestyle," the editorial reads. "We must be wary of even the slightest sign of the capitalistic lifestyle and fight to get rid of them." The Daily Express reported last week that Kim has also banned spiked and dyed hair, as well as T-shirts with slogans on them and nose and lip piercings. The paper notes that these "draconian" measures come against the backdrop of Pyongyang officials also pushing back against pop music, including K-pop bands like South Korea's BTS. A propaganda website for the North Korean regime claims members in these types of groups are "treated as slaves after being robbed of their body, mind, and soul by the heads of vicious and corrupt art-related conglomerates." (More Kim Jong Un stories.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
