North Korea tells men: Be patriotic and cut hair

State TV IDs ‘unhygienic’ men; edict sets 2-inch coif limit

Get weird & wonderful news on Twitter

Looking for more strange and fun stories and oddball videos? Follow @msnbc_wow.

Video: Weird news

Gary Coleman guilty but no nude pix
Former child actor Gary Coleman pled guilty yesterday to a criminal mischief count related to a domestic incident last April. He denied the existence of naked pictures of himself.

Saints fan swallows emblematic earring

Politician's odd half-time show

18" of snow is 'ideal' condition for golf

Hard to swallow? Man sets sword swallowing record

Dieting dachshunds lose nearly 70 pounds

Carried away! Man travels NYC on strangers’ backs

Slideshow

Guinness World Records
See the biggest rubber band ball, oldest bungee jumper, longest ear hair and much more.

more photos

Discuss odd news on Newsvine

Kindness recognized at Tweed school

Jack Russell Terrier Dog Leads a Horse to Pasture

French court refuses to annul rape verdict against German father

My girl is so spoilt I need to sell my house

Weatherman has meltdown while forcasting another snowstorm...

Get even more oddness on Newsvine!

INTERACTIVE

The 2010 Weird Science Awards
Glowing puppies, restored rabbit penises and a nude Mona Lisa are among the stars of the 2010 Weird Science Awards.

updated 4:14 p.m. ET Feb. 1, 2005

SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea is fighting a new war — against long hair.

The dictatorship has been telling its men to trim their hair “socialist style” since last September — saying men with long hair are incompetent and unhygienic.

The North’s state-run news media identifies violators of the edict by showing them on T.V., identifying them by name and address and then critiquing their hair.

Story continues below ↓

advertisement | your ad here

It showed one man with hair over his ears on Monday — and asked if he can be expected to “perform his duty well.”

The government mandates that hair be no longer than two inches. But it does offer an exception to old men, who are allowed to grow 2.8 inches to hide balding.