North Korea Removes Ban on Women Riding Bicycles - as part of the news series by GeoBeats.

In one of the few signs of promising changes to come, North Korea has lifted a ban on women riding bicycles in urban areas. It is not entirely clear why the ban was suddenly removed. The ban was put into effect in the 1990s supposedly after a general's daughter was killed riding a bike.

In the past, women were fined along with possible bicycle's confiscations if they were caught riding on urban roads.

A local source notes - “People have welcomed it, penalties imposed by the father are being lifted by the son.”

The country has seen some recent changes under the regime of its new leader, Kim Jong-Un. More economic arrangements have been inked with China, mobile phones are being utilized at a higher rate by citizens and street advertisements have increased.

However, the country's reputation as an excessively-controlling regime remains in place for now. In a recent report concerning the North Korean Olympic athletes, winners were reportedly promised all sorts of perks based on their performance at the 2012 London Olympics while the losers supposedly threatened with severe punishment such as labor camp confinement.