North Korean women allowed to ride bikes in cities again after ban lifted

A ban on female biking in urban areas of North Korea was lifted Monday.

The country's dear leader Kim Jong Un made the decree, reversing his father's decision taken in the mid-1990s.

Orange News reported that the late Kim Jong Il made the decision after the daughter of one of his top generals was killed while riding in downtown Pyongyang.

Since then, women have faced hefty fines for riding their bikes in the city streets.

More from GlobalPost: How to report from inside North Korea

They could have also had their bicycles taken away by authorities if they were caught.

The reaction by North Koreans was undoubtedly unclear but one imagines that the move was welcome, given the population's heavy reliance on the bicycle as a means of transport, said NewsFix.

It is also unclear as to why so called "Lil' Kim" repealed the order but no doubt building popular support in his early days as ruler was among the reasons.

Sign up for our daily newsletter

Sign up for The Top of the World, delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.