North Korean hair cuts – in pictures

From the colleges of Pyongyang to a barber shop in Gunnersbury, there's been a lot of talk about Kim Jong-un's hairstyle recently. They may not be forced to copy their leader, but what are the customs for the coiffures of ordinary citizens?

Read about North Korea's fashion police

  • Media reports this month that students in Pyongyang had been told they must cut their hair in the same style as their leader were soon dismissed by North Korea watchers. Actually, rules on personal style have been relaxed a little since Kim Jong-un took power in 2011, although both men and women still stick to conservative cuts. Photograph: KNS/AFP/Getty Images
    Kim Jong Un salutes a military parade in 2012, in a picture released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency.

  • Photos showing possible hair styles hang inside a barber shop in Pyongyang in 2013. Long hair is not considered acceptable for men. Photograph: David Guttenfelder/AP
    Photos showing example hair styles hang inside a barber shop in Pyongyang in 2013.

  • Hair styles for women advertised inside a hair salon in Pyongyang in 2013. Photograph: David Guttenfelder/AP
    Photos showing example hair styles hang inside a hair salon in Pyongyang in 2013.

  • Women in the Korean People's Army pose for photos in Pyongyang. For them, short, neat styles are generally favoured. Photograph: Eric Lafforgue/Barcroft Media
    Female members of the Korean People's Army pose for photos in Pyongyang, North Korea.

  • North Korean women have their hair styled at a salon at Munsu Water Park in Pyongyang, which was unveiled by Kim Jong-un last year. Some of the women here favour longer hair, which is less common than short styles Photograph: Uri Tours/flickr
    Women have their hair styled at a salon at Munsu Water Park in Pyongyang.

  • Kim Jong-un and his wife, Ri Sol-ju, visit a unit of the Korean People's Army, according to the official state news agency KCNA. North Korea's young first lady has been pictured wearing modern, fashionable, and often expensive designer clothes, which has not always proved popular at home, where millions of people live in poverty. Photograph: KNS/AFP/Getty Images
    North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (R) accompanied by his wife Ri Sol-Ju (C) visit to a sub unit of the Korean People's Army Unit 552

  • Kim Jong-un's grandfather (centre), Kim Il-sung, is sometimes mentioned as the source of inspiration for grandson's style. In this picture, distributed by KCNA, Kim Jong-un's father, Kim Jong-il, sits on his father's lap, and holds the hand of his mother, Kim Jong Suk. Photograph: AP
    Kim Jong-un's grandfather (centre), the founder of North Korea, Kim Il-sung, is sometimes mentioned as the source of inspiration for grandson's style.

  • Taken in 1992, this photo shows the late North Korean leaders Kim Jong-il (R) and then-leader, Jong-il's father, Kim Il-sung (L) inspecting a football ground in Pyongyang. Both had unique hair styles – the elder Kim had characteristic white streaks in his hair, while his son favoured a bouffant look that he reportedly combined with Cuban heels in an attempt to appear taller. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images
    The late North Korean leaders Kim Jong-il (R) and then-leader, Jong-il's father, Kim Il-sung (L) inspect a football ground in Pyongyang
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