In order to call it "Confirmed" or "Debunked", it looks like they were looking for the original first-hand source, North Korean or not, and couldn't find it/any

In order to call it "Confirmed" or "Debunked", it looks like they were looking for the original first-hand source, North Korean or not, and couldn't find it/any, hence they call it "Unproven". I think that's pretty fair. > We have been unable to find the original North Korean source detailing the specific nationwide ban on skinny jeans, relying instead on the Guardian report, and older reporting from South Korean media. Like many things out of North Korea, such reports rely on second-hand sources. As such we rate this “Unproven." We will update this rating if we receive pertinent information. Disclaimer, I don't care for China or North Korea, and this isn't a defense of either, no matter how many of my previous comments are political.