--- title: North Korea: Male Undergraduates Must Get Same Haircut as Kim Jong Un description: Women will still be allowed to choose from a selection of state-sanctioned 'dos canonical: https://time.com/38409/north-korea-kim-jong-un-haircut/ author: Samantha Grossman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-03-26T14:34:23.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:03:08.412Z og:title: All Men In North Korea Are Now Required to Get the Same Haircut as Kim Jong Un og:description: Women will still be allowed to choose from a selection of state-sanctioned 'dos og:url: https://time.com/38409/north-korea-kim-jong-un-haircut/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaf62bce376d51889/698687493617608bc690b1c5/rtr3hf6o.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3500 og:image:height: 1969 og:image:alt: North Korea leader Kim Jong Un presides over a meeting of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: All Men In North Korea Are Now Required to Get the Same Haircut as Kim Jong Un twitter:description: Women will still be allowed to choose from a selection of state-sanctioned 'dos twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaf62bce376d51889/698687493617608bc690b1c5/rtr3hf6o.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # North Korean University Students Are Now Reportedly Required to Get the Same Haircut as Kim Jong Un > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=d6e98a6e-6441-404f-ba53-4d57f61512a0&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Did Kim Jong Un Really Execute His Uncle's Extended Family? [Watch (HLS stream): Did Kim Jong Un Really Execute His Uncle's Extended Family?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/8K5WT9wM.m3u8) (1:11)  _Published 2014-01-27. A report from South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency cites unnamed sources who claim after Kim Jong Un infamously had his powerful uncle executed, Jang Song-thaek’s blood relatives were also executed._ by [Samantha Grossman](https://time.com/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman Mar 26, 2014 2:34 PM UTC  Nice haircut, Mr Dictator. North Korea leader Kim Jong Un presides over a meeting of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea. Nice haircut, Mr Dictator. North Korea leader Kim Jong Un presides over a meeting of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea. KCNA / Reuters by [Samantha Grossman](https://time.com/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman Mar 26, 2014 2:34 PM UTC Until now, everyone in North Korea had to choose their haircuts from a [list of state-approved styles](http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/02/25/these-are-north-koreas-28-state-approved-hairstyles/). But now, all male undergraduates in the hermit kingdom will be required to sport the same hairstyle as supreme leader Kim Jong Un, the BBC reports. Pyongyang introduced the new law two weeks ago but is now rolling it out across the country. Unfortunately, some North Koreans may not be thrilled about the new look. According to a former Pyongyang resident now living in China, the Kim Jong Un cut is unpopular because it apparently resembles the style of Chinese smugglers. “Until the mid-2000s, we called it the ‘Chinese smuggler haircut’,” the source told the [_Korea Times_](http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2014/03/485%5F154092.html). For now, it seems women will still be able to choose one of the several state-approved styles. Though if Kim Jong Un is a _Friends_ fan, maybe he’ll mandate that all women get [“The Rachel.”](http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2011-01-18-rachel.jpeg) You never know. **Update, 4:05 a.m. ET:** The BBC corrected its story to say that the haircut rule applies only to university students, not all North Korean men as originally stated. This story has now been edited to reflect that. **Update, March 27, 10:55 a.m. ET:** The Associated Press reports that the mandatory haircuts may be an unfounded rumor. See full report [here](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/27/mandatory-kim-jong-un-hai%5F0%5Fn%5F5041289.html?utm%5Fhp%5Fref=world). ## Transcript Did North Korea's Kim Jong- un execute the entire family of his late uncle? If South Korea's Yonhap news agency is to be believed, even children were among the executed. You might remember, Kim had his powerful uncle, Jang Song- thaek executed last month for allegedly plotting a coup. But this latest report says, all Jang's blood relatives were later executed so that no traces of him should be left. We're gonna preface all that with this. Nothing has been corroborated and Yonhap sighted only unnamed sources. And again, analysts point out that a guilt- by- association culture is pervasive in North Korea, where it isn't uncommon to punish entire families for the perceived crimes of one. And many North Korean experts have characterized Kim Jong- un as more unpredictable and, perhaps, more ruthless than his father and grandfather who preceded him. Still, South Korea's spy agency has yet to confirm Yonhap's report. Though, like most anything else pertaining to North Korea, it would be almost impossible to verify. 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