To commemorate the 10th anniversary of Kim Jong Il’s passing, North Koreans were forbidden from drinking or laughing for eleven days.
The government has ordered that the public not display any happiness as North Korea remembers Kim’s death.
Kim Jong Il, the current North Korean leader, ruled North Korea between 1994 and his death in 2011.
Ten years later, North Koreans must observe an 11-day mourning period, during which they can’t laugh nor drink alcohol.
“During mourning, we should not consume alcohol or laugh,” a North Korean border town official from Sinuiju said to Radio Free Asia (RFA).
A gathering was organized in Pyongyang for the 10th Anniversary of Kim Jong Il’s death. The event took place on Wednesday.
Sources said that North Koreans were not permitted to shop for food on the 17th of December, which marks the anniversary Kim Jong Il’s passing.
“In the past, many people were caught drunken or impaired during mourning. They were taken into custody and dealt with as ideologic criminals.” They were taken and not seen again.
“Even though your loved one dies in the grieving period, it is not permitted to cry loudly and you must take out the body after the event. Even if their birthday falls during the mourning time, people cannot celebrate their own births.
Kim Jong Il, 69 years old, died from a heart attack December 17, 2011. He had ruled the country for 17 year under a dictatorship that was brutal and oppressive.
Kim Jong Il has a 10 day mourning period every year. But this year, the 11-day mark will be his tenth death anniversary.
Kim Jong Il, pictured in this photo from 2007, died on December 17, 2011 after suffering a heart attack. He had ruled the country for 17 year under a dictatorship that was brutal and oppressive.
Another source, a resident of the southwestern province of South Hwanghae, said police officers were told to watch for people who fail to look appropriately upset during the mourning period.
They told RFA: ‘From the first day of December, they will have a special duty to crack down on those who harm the mood of collective mourning.
“It’s a special month-long duty for the police. According to me, law enforcement officers cannot rest at night.
According to the source, citizens’ groups as well state-owned businesses have been instructed to care for those living in poverty while the country faces a crisis of food.
The group stated that “Social order must be maintained and safety ensured.” Companies are responsible for collecting food and giving it to employees and residents who can’t come to work because of food insecurity.
To help the kotjebi, ‘Residents have to also come together. [North Korea’s street beggars]. ‘
Kim Jong Il was North Korea’s ruler from 1994 to his death in 2011. He was succeeded in 2011 by his youngest and third son, Kim Jong Un. (Photo: 2019).
Unidentified resident said that North Koreans’ daily lives are being affected by their grief over Kim Jong Il’s death and Kim Il Sung.
They said: ‘I just hope that the mourning period for Kim Jong Il will be shortened to one week, just like the mourning period for Kim Il Sung.
“Residents are complaining about the fact that the living have to grieve these two deceased people to death.”
North Korea has been ruled by three generations of Kim families since 1948 when Kim Il Sung created the country. Kim Jong Il was his oldest son and heir to power when Kim Il Sung passed away in 1994.
Kim Jong Un was the third youngest son and youngest of Kim Jong Il. He assumed power in 2011, after his father’s passing.
Numerous North Korean provinces have organized exhibitions of Kim Jong Il’s photographs and concert to honor his death.
RFA received a third source who said that the old soldiers’ lecturing and propaganda team are made up of retired military officers aged 50-60. This is to teach people about Kim Jong Il’s hard work, dedication, and was visited every factory, company, and neighborhood watch unit.
Puryong resident claimed that performances and lectures had started right where she lives.
She explained that they came to sing praises of Kim Jong Il, and then gave a lecture about his accomplishments and greatness.
“It would be more beneficial to furnish residents with wood or coal for the winter, rather than lecturing them about the benefits of the season.
North Korea has suffered from food shortages for years and is currently under numerous international sanctions.
This country faces its most severe economic crisis in years. It is being hit both by sanctions and its own coronavirus blockade.
Jenny Town, senior fellow at Stimson Center, said that recent photos of Kim have revealed his severe weight loss.
Korean Central Television airs a rare interview in which an unnamed citizen says that the public was ‘heartbroken” by Kim’s transformation and that everyone cried at his sight.