North Korea Mythbusting

North Korea has the reputation of the most isolated country. Every aspect of life is clouded in mystery and hardly any information leaves the country. All the leaked information comes from defectors. Since there is so much misinformation about the country there are a lot of myths and urban legends. Maia investigates some of the most absurd myths to see where the source comes from and if it’s true.

Haircut policy
Back in 2014 an article went viral about how male korean university students were send a brochure which stated that they had to go to the barber for a new haircut. To be more precise they had to imitate the haircut of Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un.

The first media outlet to publish this information was Radio Free Asia. A unknown source told Radio Free Asia about this new law forcing males to get a new haircut. Apparently, and probably not surprising, this new law was not received with good news.

So was it true? Probably not, and if it it’s true it hasn’t been enforced. Visitors of North Korea stated that upon their visits they didn’t notice the sharp buzz at every males haircut. “I was there just a few days ago, and no sign of that” said a representative of Koryo Tours, a organization that focuses on bringing tourists to North Korea.

International football squad banned to the coal mines after losing
One of the most known stories about North Korea is about the football squad who lost an international game and were sent to some education camps for some harsh ideological sessions (edit. prison camps).

The rumours were so strong that even FIFA started an investigation. After conducting the investigation however FIFA stated that training was “as usual”, and there were no abnormalities found.

A country shrouded in mystery, and with so little news leaking it’s no wonder that the most absurd stories go viral. The mystery surrounding will contribute to the urban myths because people are interested in the abnormalities of this so vastly different culture.