North Korea: North Korea has banned leather trench coats to prevent ordinary citizens from copying their Supreme Leader’s style.
According to the store, blankets were banned for young men wearing leather trench coats, and the police took to the streets to collect jackets from residents and vendors. Citing unnamed sources inside the country, the news agency said the crackdown began after people began imitating Kim Jong-un’s style.
Leather jackets became popular among North Korean women after Kim’s sister, Kim Yo-ong, wore them.
“Leather coats are starting to be recognized as a symbol of power,” a source told RFA, adding that clothing retailers have started importing synthetic leather to copy Kim’s look.
“The man said they bought the suit with their own money and there was no reason to take it,” he said.
According to Radio Free Asia, buying genuine leather in North Korea is expensive, with a cowhide jacket costing around $34. Half price synthetic leather, on sale for $16.
That said, it’s an astronomical total for North Korea to come out on a regular basis. South Korea’s JoongAng Daily reported that in 2018, North Korea’s average income was about $4. It’s topped up with a bonus that brings the average annual salary of North Korean workers $201 – a real leather jacket worth two months’ worth.
An unnamed source told Radio Free Asia on condition of anonymity that leather jackets have become popular in North Korea, especially after South Korean actor Jang Dong-gun wore them in the early 2000s.
“That’s when South Korean movies started spreading in provincial cities, and the leather jacket worn by South Korean actor Jang Dong-gun became all the rage and is still popular today,” said a second source at Radio Free Asia.
