North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered the country's senior officials not to smoke foreign cigarettes, saying it is a matter of patriotism, a source said Tuesday.

Kim, who is apparently a habitual smoker himself, said he sees no need for foreign cigarettes in his country as domestic ones have good quality as well, according to the source involved in trade with North Korea.

Kim said smoking foreign cigarettes means a lack of patriotism, added the source based in China.

Kim, reportedly in his early 30s and educated in Switzerland, has often been spotted smoking during his public appearances.

The brand of his cigarettes has not been confirmed yet, however.

Kim's orders might have stopped the North's imports of foreign cigarettes, but it remains uncertain whether the measure will actually affect consumption of them in the smuggling-prone North, observers said. (Yonhap)