Kim Jong Un bans hot dogs in North Korea to crack down on western culture—violators risk detainment in labor camps

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has reportedly banned citizens from selling and eating hot dogs. If caught in possession of the iconic American-style cuisine, residents could risk deportation to one of the country's infamous labor camps. The prohibition comes as part of a crackdown on Western culture allegedly infiltrating the country, according to reports.

The Sun reported that Kim Jong Un has outlawed budae-jjigae, a popular US-inspired spicy noodle hot dog soup sold in neighboring South Korea, declaring that selling the sausage constituted an act of treason. Budae-jjigaw was imported from South Korea into the country in 2017.
 

"Sales of budae-jjigae in the market have stopped," a vendor in the northern province of Ryanggang told the outlet. "The police and market management have said anyone caught selling it will be shut down."

Additionally, couples who wish to divorce have been ordered by the North Korean dictator to serve six-month sentences in labor centers. Kim Jong Un stated that the separation is considered "anti-socialist" behavior, and as a result, the couple is required to atone for their "crimes."

A divorced woman who claimed to have served three months of labor in South Pyongan province told RFA that women were subjected to more severe sentences than men. "There are about 80 women, and 40 men imprisoned in the county labor training camp," she said. "About 30 men and women were imprisoned due to divorce decrees, and the women's sentences were longer."

Kim Jon Un also recently declared that citizens who planned to celebrate Christmas would face execution.