{"id":4302,"date":"2019-08-07T17:26:48","date_gmt":"2019-08-07T08:26:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.01.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/?p=4302"},"modified":"2019-09-19T12:56:19","modified_gmt":"2019-09-19T03:56:19","slug":"freedom-fashionistas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/2019\/08\/society-economy\/freedom-fashionistas\/","title":{"rendered":"\uff1cInside N. Korea\uff1e Freedom Fashionistas: Young Citizens Rebel Against Regime for Freedom of Style"},"content":{"rendered":"
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(Photo) A young man walks through a market while wearing a Mickey Mouse t-shirt, a symbol of \u201cenemy culture\u201d. Photographed in Hyesan City in August 2013 by ASIAPRESS<\/p><\/div>\n

\u25c6 Jeans and dyed-brown hair are strictly prohibited.<\/h2>\n

Recently, resistance has been mounting among young people against the state\u2019s intensifying crackdowns on clothes and hairstyles considered to be \u201cnon-socialist\u201d.<\/p>\n

In late July, a reporting partner living in the northern province of Ryanggang said, \u201cA public morality enforcement team called the \u2018gyuchaldae\u2019 stands by the side of the street, checking people\u2019s clothes, hairstyles, and shoes. They confiscate items, give fines, and, in some cases, will even cut a person\u2019s hair on the spot. This has led to constant arguments with citizens who oppose the crackdowns.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the reporting partner, a woman in her early 20\u2019s who had dyed her hair brown, was apprehended by the \u2018gyuchaldae\u2019 in Hyesan on July 12. When she resisted, there was a commotion but, in the end, she had to cut her own hair with a pair of scissors.<\/p>\n

If caught by the \u2018gyuchaldae\u2019, citizens must write a piece of self-criticism and, sometimes, face criticism from others at ideological training meetings. To avoid this punishment, the apprehended citizens must give bribes. The Hyesan woman, however, is said to have cut her own hair out of indignation.<\/p>\n

Women wearing straight pants and high heels which accentuate the shape of their legs, seem to be the main target of the \u2018gyuchaldae\u2019. When apprehended women complain, \u201cWhat am I supposed to wear?\u201d, the officers respond, \u201cWear simple pants and flat sneakers, as women did in the \u201890\u2019s\u201d.
\nNext page : \u25c6 Small resistance led by rebellious young people<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u25c6 Small resistance led by rebellious young people<\/h2>\n

Young people seem to be strongly opposed to the tighter control. To the young people who have seen South Korean or Chinese movies and T.V. shows and, therefore, are aware of foreign fashion, copying the styles they have seen on T.V. represents a small challenge for freedom. It is said that many young people go out at night to wear the clothes they like and show off their dyed hairstyles.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, however, those working for the \u2018gyuchaldae\u2019 have been given the authority to crack down on anyone who dresses out of the ordinary.<\/p>\n

The reporting partner said, \u201cThe goal of the \u2018gyuchaldae\u2019 officers is to receive bribes. An acquaintance, who was caught wearing straight pants, was released only after promising to give over 2 kilograms of gasoline. The officers, of course, make demands for cigarettes, gasoline, and so on.<\/p>\n

In the past, the authorities used to have intense crackdowns only during set time periods. Now though, these crackdowns remain indefinitely in place. Behavior deemed to be \u201cnon-socialist\u201d is regarded as a hostile act, as it deviates from North Korean style. Residents\u2019 complaints are becoming very serious.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Kim Jong-un regime aims to crack down on the domestic spread of South Korean culture and information, despite the conciliatory mood of inter-Korean relations created last year. (Kang Ji-won)<\/p>\n

\u203b ASIAPRESS contacts its reporting partners in North Korea through smuggled Chinese mobile phones.<\/p>\n

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