Government has banned it’s citizens from laughing, drinking or showing any signs of happiness for 11 days to mark the tenth anniversary of former leader Kim Jong Il’s death
AMN / WEB DESK
Thousands of North Koreans Friday paid homage to the country’s former leader, Kim Jong Il on his 10th death anniversary
Current leader Kim Jong Un, Kim Jong Il’s son, attended a ceremony with hundreds of others at Pyongyang’s Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, the mausoleum for Kim Jong Il and his father Kim Il Sung, the founder of the country.
During the ceremony, Kim Jong Un was seen bowing to a large portrait of his father but was not shown speaking.
To mark the anniversary, the North Korean regime has banned laughing for 10 days. The laughing ban is in addition to bans on drinking alcohol, shopping and leisure activities normally in place on the anniversary.
Kim Jong Il ruled the communist state for 17 years, and the Kim family, which North Koreans are taught to revere, has ruled for 48 years. During the Kim reign, the country developed nuclear weapons and intercontinental missiles but often failed to feed itself.
Despite the economic problems, which reportedly have been made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic, the regime has managed to maintain control.