North Korea is a mythical country shrouded in mystery. One of the most isolated countries in the world, North Korea, (un) known as the “Hermit Kingdom”, is a hidden state that seems to live on a separate planet with its own rules. Ruled by a sole leader and government that controls literally everything and everyone, the lives of North Koreans in the 21st century remain relatively unknown even today.
Some of the bans there are hard to believe exist at all. Let’s see:
Not in western fashion
In 2016, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un banned the population from wearing clothes typical of the Western world. This rule is especially true for blue jeans, as the blue color is reminiscent of imperialism. Instead, the clothes, the hairstyle, the length of the clothes must be in line with the tendencies of capitalism, and the people who do not follow the rules are sent to labor camps. The sale of branded accessories such as Prada, Manolo Blahnik, Versace is also prohibited.
Coca-Cola is banned
There are only two countries in the world that strictly forbid their citizens to drink Coca-Cola – Cuba and North Korea. A trade embargo has been imposed on the brand for import into the country. However, there are luxury stores in the capital Pyongyang that sell the drink in bottles with red and white labels, which is the local version of Coca Cola.
Women’s sanitary materials are prohibited
Strange and insulting, but a fact. Women in North Korea do not have access to women’s accessories. Women do not have access to one of the most common women’s products – bandages. On the other hand, they buy reusable cotton towels.
North Korea does not celebrate Christmas
The ban on celebrations was introduced more than 70 years ago. The reason for this is that North Koreans are atheists. If a North Korean is caught celebrating the brightest Christian holiday, he can be tortured, imprisoned, and even sentenced to death. On the other hand, people are forced to pay tribute to Kim Jong Un’s grandmother on December 24, her birthday.
Everything about the giant Apple is forbidden
There is a strict restriction on the sale of any type of high-tech, modern device in North Korea, so there is no iPad or iPhone there. It is said that Kim Jong Un owns a real Apple product and has a certain attachment to them. However, they are strictly forbidden to the public, because no one can afford a smartphone of any kind anyway. However, the country has its own tablet, as well as a smartphone that looks suspicious enough like the iPhone. In addition, the latest version of the local operating system “Red Star” is very similar to MacOS X.
In addition, users can only connect these devices to the government-run Mirae intranet.
There are no sports cars in North Korea
Due to sanctions from the European Union and the United Nations, which ban high-end luxury goods in the country, it is almost impossible for North Koreans to buy a sports car. In fact, this ban has been in place since 2013. So you will not see Mercedes-Benz or Audi on the roads of Pyongyang. However, Kim Jong-un is said to own a Mercedes-Benz armored car in open conflict with the ban.
The homes do not have hot water and central heating
An embarrassing fact, but in homes in North Korea you can not take a hot shower because there is no running hot water. To take a shower, people use public baths. North Korea has a problem with electricity, so people heat themselves with wood stoves. Even in the capital Pyongyang.
It is impossible to go abroad
North Koreans are banned from traveling abroad, even on vacation. To visit another country, close to China or Russia, they need a special permit to certify that they are going to work there.
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