Kim Jong Il’s funeral is in progress as we speak.
Similar to Kim Il Sung’s funeral in 1994, Kim Jong Il’s funeral doubtless comes with rules. Even throughout Kim Il Sung’s funeral, the North Korean authorities exercised strict control over clothing, behavior and remarks.
Lee Ok, a 57-year old who attended Kim Il Sung’s funeral explained, “We were only allowed to wear black or white clothing. Only the upper garment Kim Jung Sook had worn was permitted; those people who did not own such garments worked hard to buy new ones.”
Lee continued, “It was a very hot August weather, with the sun shining down on our faces throughout the whole ceremony. We could not even move, so some people fainted in the middle of the event.”
“The shock of the death of the Suryeong shocked people too much and caused them to faint,” was how the authorities described it.
Another defector, Oh Kyong Sook (48) said of the event, “I remember I could not shed any more tears after many days of crying. Fortunately it rained a lot during the mourning period and I did not have to watch out for the guards to pick on me for not doing so.”
She continued, “I am thinking the same will happen during Kim Jong Il’s funeral where people will be overacting because they can’t really cry any more.”
There aren’t specific guidelines as to how much you have to cry, the source noted, but they do say to ‘act apporpriately’. To her, it was no different to saying “wail”. The North Korean people know that if you don’t shed a tear and are happy, then there will be trouble, so they force the tears out.
