North Korea has suffered an uptick in the number of people suffering from thinning hair or going bald, South Korean experts reported. Speaking to Radio Free Asia (RFA), the experts discussed that the phenomenon appears to derive from a number of sources, including infections that caused hair loss as an after-effect. This could also be the result of using soap and laundry detergent that contain “harsh” chemical ingredients, they said.
Choi Jeong Hoon, a doctor from North Korea who fled to South Korea and now serves as a senior researcher at the Public Policy Research Institute in Seoul, explained that it is “not easy” for North Koreans to find “mild” chemical products as “ordinary residents cannot afford to worry about hair loss.” The cost of treatment for the average citizen is too much to afford, he said.
Ahn Kyung Soo, head of DPRKHealth.org – a blog following health issues in North Korea- said that treatments for hair loss in North Korea are more like “oriental medicines.” These are topical tonics based on medicinal herbs likely to have minimal effects. Another expert also argued that the military’s caps may damage hair due to lack of proper ventilation. This could lead to bacterial buildup and clogged pores that can result in thinning hair. All North Korean men are typically required to serve 10 years in the armed forces.
This comes as North Korea sent troops to its southern border to restore guard posts taken down under a 2018 agreement with South Korea, Seoul’s military said. Earlier Pyongyang launched a spy satellite which stoked tensions on the peninsula.
A South Korean military official told AFP that Pyongyang had recently sent armed personnel and equipment to restore the guard posts and North Korean soldiers were “seen rebuilding the guard posts from Friday”.
