- The iconic look became popular in 2019 after the country's supreme leader wore the trench coat on TV.
- The coat has become a popular fashion among the North Korean elite who could afford real leather.
- Another leather-clad TV appearance from Kim Jong-un this year also contributed more to the enthusiasm for the coat.
- In North Korea, fake leather coats cost roughly £12 and real leather £25.50.
Police in North Korea is cracking down on residents putting on leather trench coats because they claim it is disrespectful to copy Kim Jong-un's fashion style.
The iconic look became popular in 2019 after the country's supreme leader wearing on TV donning the trench coat, Indian Times reported.
Another leather-clad TV appearance from Kim Jong-un this year did little to curb enthusiasm for the coat and the outfit has become a popular fashion among the North Korean elite who could afford real leather.
However, the knock-off imitations of the trench coat have proliferated and authorities have now been deployed to shut down merchants selling them and take them off people amid fears it undermines the authority of Kim as the president of the country.
"Police say that wearing clothes designed to look like the Highest Dignity is an ‘impure trend to challenge the authority of the Highest Dignity,' according to Indian Times.
"They instructed the public not to wear leather coats because it is part of the party’s directive to decide who can wear them."
Leather jackets, as opposed to full-length trench coats, have actually been worn in North Korea since the early 2000s, popularised by illegally smuggled South Korean films which circulate in provincial cities.
According to the South Korean newspaper Korea Joongang Daily, the average salary in the North is roughly 50p per month and Fake leather coats in North Korea are roughly £12 and real leather £25.50.
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