In yet another disturbing move from Pyongyang, **North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has reportedly ordered a nationwide crackdown on women who have undergone breast enhancement surgeries**, calling the practice “unsocialist” and “an insult to the dignity of the nation.” The alleged directive, first reported by Daily NK, marks one of the regime’s strangest campaigns yet — targeting women’s bodies under the guise of protecting socialist purity and national pride.
According to insider reports cited by The Telegraph, Kim allegedly described cosmetic surgery as a “capitalist disease” corrupting the “ideological integrity” of North Korean women. In the same speech, he is said to have denounced what he called “fake beauty inspired by Western degeneracy,” ordering secret police to identify and investigate any medical professionals suspected of performing such procedures. Witnesses told reporters that dozens of women have already been detained for questioning.
BREAKING: Kim Jong Un orders crackdown on “unsocialist” women with breast implants, claiming it’s a sign of Western moral decay. — @Telegraph
Local sources told Radio Free Asia that undercover surveillance teams from the Ministry of State Security have begun inspecting hospitals and private clinics in several provinces, including Pyongyang, Chongjin, and Hamhung. “They are looking for signs of surgery, scars, or anything suggesting women underwent cosmetic alterations,” one insider said. “Those identified are taken for ‘re-education,’ forced to confess their motives, and made to sign pledges renouncing capitalist beauty ideals.”
Observers say the campaign fits Kim’s long-running obsession with controlling personal behavior, from banning Western hairstyles to restricting fashion and music. As The Independent explained, North Korea has previously cracked down on “unsocialist” trends such as tight jeans, dyed hair, and K-pop-inspired accessories — all deemed threats to ideological discipline. The new focus on breast implants, however, underscores how far the regime will go to enforce conformity under moral pretense.
RFA: “Women accused of having breast implants face detention and public criticism sessions.” — @RadioFreeAsia
Human rights groups have condemned the alleged order as yet another act of gender-based repression. “This is not about socialism — it’s about total control over women’s bodies,” said Lina Yoon, a senior researcher for Human Rights Watch. “North Korean women already live under suffocating scrutiny, and now even their anatomy is being politicized.” Activists say the campaign reflects a growing paranoia within the regime, which has been tightening restrictions as international sanctions deepen economic pressure.
Some defectors have come forward to confirm the reports. A former nurse who fled North Korea in 2022 told NBC News that cosmetic enhancements, though rare, have become quietly popular among upper-class women and families of high-ranking officials. “They see it as a status symbol,” she said. “Women with access to black-market doctors get small surgeries, sometimes secretly funded by military officers. Now, everyone is terrified they’ll be exposed.”
On social media, the reports have sparked global outrage and disbelief. As Rolling Stone observed, international commentators described the order as “misogyny disguised as ideology,” with many pointing out the hypocrisy of a government that permits its elites to live lavishly while policing women’s appearances under threat of punishment.
Rolling Stone: “Kim’s moral crusade against cosmetic surgery exposes a deeper fear of modernity.” — @RollingStone
Beyond its shock value, experts say this latest move fits a familiar pattern — Kim Jong Un frequently launches moral purges during times of instability to consolidate control and redirect public anger. As The Washington Post detailed, the country’s worsening food shortages and military spending have fueled growing discontent. By portraying “unsocialist women” as symbols of Western corruption, Kim can rally conservative sentiment and distract from the government’s failures.
One defector described the situation bluntly: “Kim Jong Un fears beauty because it’s one of the few forms of personal expression left. Controlling that means controlling desire, hope, and identity.” As international outrage builds, rights organizations are urging the UN to investigate reports of arbitrary detentions tied to this campaign — though as history shows, North Korea rarely responds to external condemnation.
Whether the alleged order will last remains unclear, but for many women in North Korea, the message is unmistakable — even their physical bodies can be treated as political battlegrounds. “Every time a woman changes something about herself,” one activist told Al Jazeera, “the regime sees it as rebellion.”
