CNN —North Korea’s state broadcaster, KCTV, has blurred out a pair of jeans worn by veteran British TV host Alan Titchmarsh as part of the country’s censorship of foreign fashion and culture.
Nam Sung-wook, a professor of North Korean Studies at Korea University in Seoul, told CNN that the censorship shows North Korea is strictly implementing the newly adopted Reactionary Ideology and Culture Rejection Act.
“The act aims to prohibit North Korean residents from imitating foreign countries in various aspects, including how they’re dressed and speak,” he said.
“They have had campaigns against anti-socialist culture since at least the early 1990s,” said Ward.
Foreign materials like books and movies are banned, often with severe punishments for those caught with black market contraband.
Persons:
Alan Titchmarsh, KCTV, ”, Titchmarsh, “ I’ve, Nam Sung, Peter Ward, Kim Jong Il, “
Organizations:
CNN, BBC, North Korean Studies, Korea University, Sejong Institute, “, Korean Central News Agency, United Nations
Locations:
Korea’s, British, Seoul, Korea, South Korea, Soviet Union, North Korea