The fabulous story of North Korea’s fabric made of stoneIt was developed to clothe the people, but it exposed the holes in state propaganda January 17, 2018 MOVIE: Vinalon on show in this undated film by North Korean state broadcaster. Korean Centreal Television (KCTV)For much of the world, it’s a niche product. In North Korea, where winter temperatures are frigid and which cannot produce enough cotton or wool for clothing, the synthetic fibre developed after nylon was glorified as a revolutionary invention.
Known outside North Korea as vinylon, it was christened “vinalon†by founder Kim Il Sung. He ordered it be developed to put clothes on people’s backs.
It's a story which reveals much about the history of North Korea. The state says the fibre symbolises its self-reliance, but diplomatic records show the project was less successful than Kim hoped - Pyongyang was more dependent on others than it claimed.
Today, North Koreans say no one wears vinalon. That hasn’t stopped Kim’s grandson Kim Jong Un calling for more of the fabric to be produced.
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https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/northkorea-vinalon/
