North Korea's Kim Jong Un Reportedly Banned Leather Jackets After People Copied His Look

Most countries ban things like single-use plastics, but North Korea seemingly has other priorities, like banning leather trench coats.

In an effort to make sure Kim Jong Un's fashion style isn't copied, North Korea is allegedly banning its people from wearing leather trench coats, reports Radio Free Asia.

Police are reportedly now patrolling the streets and seizing any (pl)leather trench coats sold by vendors or worn by young men.

The crackdown was instigated after North Korean citizens began copying their infamous leader's style after he made a few public appearances in a leather trench coat, according to the report.

The coats also became popular among North Korean women when Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un's sister, appeared in one, Radio Free Asia reports.

An unnamed source told the news outlet that clothing sellers began to sell trench coats made of synthetic leather after the "coats began to be recognized as a symbol of power."

The police cited an "'impure trend to challenge the authority of the Highest Dignity,'" as the reason for seizing the garments, according to the report. The "Highest Dignity" here means the leader of North Korea.

"They instructed the public not to wear leather coats because it is part of the party's directive to decide who can wear them," the source told Radio Free Asia.

North Korea is famously locked down against the outside world and Kim's government controls the media, so it can be difficult to get accurate sources and news from inside the country. Most photos and announcements come out through the state-run Korea Central News Agency.

Radio Free Asia is a non-profit funded by the U.S. government and it regularly reports on events inside North Korea.