Kim Jong-un warns North Korean youth face death if they use slang over ‘superior’ words

Kim Jong-un has threatened young people in North Korea to stop using slang from its southern counterpart – or they may face jail, or worse, death.

State media urged the youth to use the North’s ‘superior’ dialect or they could face harsh penalties.

A change in law has now added slang to the banned list, joining foreign fashions and hairstyles that were already considered unacceptable.

Residents have been told to think twice before using “street” words from neighbouring South Korea after the tubby tyrant branded K-pop as a “vicious cancer” last month.

The BBC reports teenagers have been retold of the dangers of following South Korean pop culture as part of a crackdown of new laws in the isolated state.

North Korea’s official state newspaper, Rodong Sinmun wrote: “The ideological and cultural penetration under the colourful coloured signboard of the bourgeoisie is even more dangerous than enemies who are taking guns.”

Yang Moo-Jin, professor at the University of North Korean Studies, told the Korean Herald Kim is “is well aware that K-pop or Western culture could easily permeate into the younger generation”.

“He knows that these cultural aspects could impose a burden on the system. So by stamping them out, Kim is trying to prevent further troubles in the future,” he added.

The dictator has clamped down on the culture which he believes is corrupting North Korea’s “attire, hairstyles, speeches, behaviours”.

Last December, the state introduced a new law where anyone watching or possessing entertainment from South Korea would be shipped to a labour camp for 15 years.

Anyone caught smuggling music, shows, or films into the communist state could even face the death penalty.

And those who “speak, write or sing in South Korean style” face two years of hard labour.

According to internal documents smuggled out of the country by a Seoul-based news site, Daily NK, “serious change” is on the horizon in the “mental state” of North Korea’s youth.

It comes after Kim Jong-un banned mullets and skinny jeans.

The country recognises 15 approved haircuts, and residents are not allowed to style their hair in other ways not included on the list.

T-shirts featuring slogans, as well as nose and lip piercings, have also been banned in the state.

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