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North Korea is in the midst of a seven-day forced mourning period to mark the 11th anniversary of the death of former leader Kim Jong Il, and no singing, drinking or celebrating will be allowed, sources in the country tell Radio Free Asia.
The government has ordered its citizens to maintain an attitude of solemn reflection on the life of the late ‘Dear Leader’, father of current leader Kim Jong Un, who died on December 17, 2011. The mourning period began on Wednesday and will end on December 20. from December.
“You should never drink alcohol or engage in entertainment such as singing or drinking during the commemoration period,” a resident of the northern Ryanggang province told the FRG Korean Service on condition of anonymity for security reasons on Wednesday.
Also, people are supposed to tone down or avoid key life events such as coming-of-age ceremonies, weddings, funerals, and even jesa, the ceremony to remember the dead.
Pictured: Kim Jong Un attends a Central Committee meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party in Pyongyang on January 19, 2022.
Pictured: Then-Chinese President Jiang Zemin, right, meets with then-North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in Beijing.
“The atmosphere of fear that controls and puts pressure on the neighbors will be strong during the commemoration period,” the source said. “If you don’t take care of yourself and are not careful during this time, you can get yourself into serious trouble.”
Authorities have also told people to avoid making political statements or offering criticism of the government during the period, and threatened that secret agents were on the prowl.
Movement between different parts of the country would also be more restricted than normal, and bribing officials to obtain travel passes would be nearly impossible during the mourning period, the source said.
Residents of the northeastern province of North Hamgyong were told to “be careful what you [they] say and do’ during the mourning period, a resident told RFA on condition of anonymity to speak freely.
Pictured: People visit Mansu Hill to pay their respects in front of the statues of late North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, to mark the 11th anniversary of Kim Jong Il’s death.
National flags are seen at half mast on the 11th anniversary of the death of President Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang, Saturday, December 17, 2022.
The second source said that in addition to the directives on acting with respect and refraining from criticizing or complaining about the authorities, the central government ordered neighborhood watch units to strengthen surveillance of people.
“Documentaries about Kim Jong Il’s achievements and his love for the people are broadcast on television every day,” the second source said. “Various memory-related events such as museum visits, intensive lectures, and memorial lectures are held continuously, but they always end with a theme of endless loyalty to Kim Jong Un.”
December is also the birth month of Kim Jong Il’s mother, Kim Jong Sook, and she also has commemorative events, so people find the focus on the Kim Dynasty exhausting at this time of year, the second source said.
Pictured: Kim Jong Un gives a lecture at the Central Cadre Training School in North Korea on October 17, 2022
Pictured: People offer flowers near the statues of former leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il on Mansu Hill in Pyongyang on December 17, 2022. This was to mark the 11th anniversary of Kim Jong Il’s death .
Some of the events during the Kim Jong Il mourning period are held outdoors in the cold.
In South Pyongan province, north of the capital Pyongyang, residents were forced to attend all-day memorial services beginning at 9 a.m. Thursday. Temperatures ranged from minus 12 degrees Celsius (10.4 degrees Fahrenheit) to minus 2 (28.4 F), a source told RFA.
Authorities ordered all women in attendance to wear Korean traditional clothing, according to the South Pyongan source. There are both winter and summer versions of the traditional outfit, but most women only have one outfit that they wear only to formal events, most of which are indoors. These would have offered little protection from the cold.
“Authorities are ignoring shivering women even if they show frostbite symptoms such as hypothermia and itchy skin, so people here are about to burst with resentment,” the South Pyongan source said.
In north Hamgyong’s Musan county, authorities gathered coal miners in front of a government building for a two-hour memorial service on Friday when the weather was -20 C (minus 4 F), a source said. there to RFA.
‘The workers who complained said things like: ‘[Kim Jong Il] he still starves people and makes them suffer in the cold weather long after he is dead.’