In North Korea, even Cupid is under surveillance.
Kim Jong-un – who previously waged war on hot dogs and jeans – has now decided that love letters are a national security threat.
Officials from a factory’s Socialist Patriotic Youth League in Hamhŭng, the second-most populous city, found a love letter during a routine inspection.
It contained romantic expressions like ‘I love you’ and ‘The only thing I think of is you.’
The incident happened earlier this month and it has since been turned into an ideological issue.
A source told Daily NK: ‘They [officials] criticized the phrase “I love you” in the letter, and made a big deal of the matter.’
The letter was blasted as evidence of a ‘decadent lifestyle imbued with the capitalist views of love.’
The young man who wrote it was condemned for his ‘rotten spirit’ and then forced to publicly criticize himself in front of fellow members of the party.
The source added: ‘Lovers often say “I like you,” but use “I love you” less so.
‘All he did was write down the feelings he could not express out loud, but officials turned it into a major issue.
‘Other league members watched the struggle session with disgust, like they were chewing rotten cucumbers.’
Crackdowns on outside information and culture have intensified in recent years, with North Korean authorities fearing that it poses a threat to the status quo, particularly to the young generation.
This only intensified since the outbreak of Covid-19 when North Korean authorities shut down the border with China.
Everything that Kim Jong-un has banned in recent years
Ice cream
Earlier this month, the dictator banned the use of the word ‘ice cream’, instead ordering its replacement with state-approved alternatives such as eseukimo.
Hamburger
Another victim of the purge is the word ‘hamburger’. Instead, the state has ordered that it is called dajin-gogi gyeopppang, meaning ‘double bread with ground beef’.
Karaoke machines
Given South Korea’s obsession with karaoke, this one is not that much of a shock.
They are to be referred to as ‘on-screen accompaniment machines.’
Hot dogs
North Korea has also banned hot dogs for being too American, and selling them has reportedly been classified as an act of treason.
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