North Koreans have been banned from public display of any form of happiness or entertainment [laughing, drinking ] for 11 days as the 10th death anniversary of former leader Kim Jong Il’s begins.
Ex-Leader Kim Jong Il ruled North Korea from 1994 until his death in 2011. He died of a heart failure on December 17 2011 at the age of 69 after ruling the country for 17 years in an inhuman dictatorship.
He was subsequently succeeded by his 3rd and youngest son- Kim Jong Un who is the current leader . Ten years after his death, North Koreans are being coerced to observe the 11-day mourning period.
“During the mourning period, we must not drink alcohol, laugh or engage in entertaining activities,” a North Korean from the northeastern border city of Sinuiju told Radio Free Asia (RFA). The source disclosed that North Koreans are also not allowed to go grocery shopping on the death day December 17 .
They added: previously, people who were caught drinking or being intoxicated during the death anniversary period were arrested and treated as ideological criminals. They were whisked away and never seen or heard of again. “Even with the untimely demise of a family member during the mourning period, you are not allowed to cry out loud and the body of the dead family member can only be brought out for burial when the death anniversary of the ex-leader is over. People cannot even celebrate their own birthdays if it fall within the mourning period.”
The period of mourning for the late Kim Jong Il is usually 10 days, but this year it will be 11 days to mark the tenth anniversary of his death.