Kim Jong Un was meant to be their only idol - then North Koreans discovered K-pop

For Lee Yeon-su, attending a BTS concert in South Korea is a profound expression of personal freedom. "Every time I come to a BTS concert, I realise how happy I am that I can like and support someone of my own free will," she says, a sentiment unimaginable in her native North Korea.

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Every time I come to a BTS concert, I realise how happy I am that I can like and support someone of my own free will. That would have been unimaginable in North Korea.

Yeon-su grew up in a military family where the South was portrayed as the enemy. Her escape in 2011 preceded K-pop's global explosion, but music from the South eventually found its way to her. Now, listening to or watching South Korean media is a crime punishable by jail or worse in North Korea.

Despite the regime's efforts to isolate its citizens, K-pop has managed to seep into the Hermit Kingdom. Defectors report listening to songs in secret, drawn to the hopeful lyrics and the shocking image of male idols with blue hair and makeup. "North Korea is a place where the whole system is set up so that there can only be one celebrity, one idol - Kim Jong Un," explains Hannah Oh, a 25-year-old defector.

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North Korea is a place where the whole system is set up so that there can only be one celebrity, one idol - Kim Jong Un.

Yet, the popularity of groups like BTS, Blackpink, Girls' Generation, Teen Top, and 2PM demonstrates that North Koreans have found other idols. The Korean name for BTS, Bangtan Sonyeondan, has even entered everyday slang, showing the pervasive, albeit hidden, influence of South Korean culture.

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Why do men look like that?