Kim has also banned the sale of budae-jjigae, a South Korean-American fusion dish made with an umami-rich broth, Korean hot pepper paste, flakes, kimchi and American spam, beans and sausages.
The stew, which means “military base stew,” contains hot dog meat or spam that has been banned in the North.
The fusion dish appears to have crossed the border into North Korea around 2017, more than 50 years after its creation in the South.
Budae-jjigae was created in the 1950s when American soldiers in the region discarded meat. South Koreans used meat to create stews.
According to Radio Free Asia, North Korea has also banned tteokbokki steamed rice cakes, a popular street food in the South.
Food isn’t the only thing the hermit nation is cracking down on. Reports emerged in December that people who divorce in North Korea face between one and six months in forced labor camps for their “crimes.”
Divorce is considered an anti-socialist act and anyone seeking a divorce needs the Government to approve any request.
According to RFA, a divorced woman claimed she went through three months of labor and said women receive harsher sentences than men.
