Mick Hartley

A month in a forced labour camp for a North Korean miner wearing jeans. From the Daily NK:

A coal mining complex in North Hamgyong Province held a lecture and ideological struggle meeting in mid-June to crack down on “anti-socialist” clothing and appearances. One of the miners was punished for wearing blue jeans.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a source in the province told Daily NK on Friday that the Kyongwon County coal mining complex held a lecture on proper socialist attire followed by an ideological struggle meeting on June 10.

A party secretary, who led the lecture, emphasized North Korean leader Kim Jong Il’s statement that “clothing reflects a person’s mental state” and criticized workers’ attire and hairstyles.

The official mentioned youth wearing South Korean-style haircuts and women wearing tight pants or low-cut tops, warning that “ideological degeneration starts from clothing, and those who don’t follow party-approved styles will be dealt with by the police department.”

In the subsequent meeting, a man in his 40s named Kim (pseudonym) from the mine’s tunneling unit was publicly criticized for wearing jeans in the mine. Kim explained he changed into jeans inside the mine due to their durability, but this explanation was seen by officials as evidence Kim was “unable to accept criticism.”

Interestingly enough, jeans were first sold to American coal miners who appreciated their durability for work in mines.

Kim was ultimately sentenced to a month at a forced labor camp.

Another man in his 50s, Moon (pseudonym), from the coal extraction unit, was also brought on stage for wearing a denim jacket.

“Moon was only criticized, not sent to a forced labor camp, as it was acknowledged he bought the jacket from a used clothing seller without knowing it was American. However, workers were speechless watching him cut up his jacket on stage.”