A family in Anju, South Pyongan province, was recently forced to curtail traditional three-day funeral proceedings to just two days when a death coincided with preparations for Kim Il Sung’s birthday on April 15.
The hurried funeral highlights North Korea’s strict prohibition against displaying sadness during what the regime considers the nation’s most important holiday.
“A man in his 50s from Anju suddenly died of a heart attack early on April 13,” a South Pyongan province source told Daily NK recently. “Since showing sadness during our country’s biggest holiday on April 15 is forbidden, the bereaved family had to rush the funeral and finish within two days.”
North Korea celebrates the birthdays of former leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il as “the nation’s most joyous holidays” with extensive commemorations.
April 15, Kim Il Sung’s birthday, was designated a temporary public holiday in 1962, marking the 50th anniversary of his birth. It became an official holiday in 1968 and was elevated to the status of the nation’s greatest holiday in 1972 when Kim turned 60.
As the holiday approaches, North Korean authorities organize various events to create a festive atmosphere and demand citizens demonstrate loyalty by wholeheartedly celebrating together.
Due to these requirements, displaying any sign of grief on April 15 is strictly prohibited. The Anju family, forced to hold a funeral, had to complete proceedings a day early rather than following the traditional three-day ritual.
“The sense of loss from losing a loved one is already immense, but the pain of not being able to conduct a proper funeral according to tradition is indescribable,” the source said. “The man died suddenly, not after a long illness, yet the family had to suppress their grief because of the holiday. How heartbroken they must have been.”
The source added: “What caused even more pain to those around them was that the bereaved family had to participate in various celebration events on the 15th. Not attending would raise questions about their loyalty and could create political problems, so they attended while suppressing their grief. There’s nothing sadder than that.”
This incident illustrates how North Korean society and its system prioritize collective displays of loyalty to the deified leadership while thoroughly ignoring and excluding individual sorrow and pain.
“Here in North Korea, the leader is propagandized as a heaven-sent figure, so expressing personal grief is considered an act of denying the leader’s birth,” the source explained. “When a funeral date overlaps with Kim Il Sung’s birthday, people cannot properly express their sadness and must instead somehow display joy on the outside — that’s the reality here.”
