Reports suggesting the North Korean government has directly ordered all male college students to adopt haircuts similar to Kim Jong Un are unlikely true, frequent visitors to North Korea told NK News on Thursday.
The story, which emerged in an article published by the Washington DC-based Radio Free Asia (RFA), said on Tuesday that an order for young men to imitate Kim Jong Un’s hairstyle was made two weeks ago and was expected to be strictly enforced – something regular visitors were unable to corroborate.
Reports suggesting the North Korean government has directly ordered all male college students to adopt haircuts similar to Kim Jong Un are unlikely true, frequent visitors to North Korea told NK News on Thursday.
The story, which emerged in an article published by the Washington DC-based Radio Free Asia (RFA), said on Tuesday that an order for young men to imitate Kim Jong Un’s hairstyle was made two weeks ago and was expected to be strictly enforced – something regular visitors were unable to corroborate.
Get the Daily Update
Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most –
Hamish Macdonald is an Associate Fellow at RUSI who formerly worked on Project SANDSTONE and formerly a journalist and researcher who has focused uniquely on North Korea related topics and affairs. He was previously the COO of the Korea Risk Group, which produces the NK News and NK Pro. Specialising in this area, his investigations covered topics including North Korean sanctions evasion activities, domestic economic development and human rights.