The North Korean media has hit back at reports that people who did not participate in the mourning period events for Kim Jong Il are being severely punished, calling the claims \u201cthe scandalous slander of underhanded people.\u201d.<\/p>\n
The criticism came in response to claims by a North Korean source on January 10th that, \u201cThe authorities are handing down at least six months in a labor-training camp to anybody who didn\u2019t participate in organized gatherings during the mourning period, or who did participate but didn\u2019t cry and didn’t seem genuine.\u201d The Daily NK source also claimed that people accused of circulating rumors criticizing the country\u2019s 3rd generation dynastic system are being seriously punished.<\/p>\n
In response, an editorial carried by Chosun Central News Agency (KCNA) on the 14th asserted, \u201cThe noble blood and tears of our people have been blasphemed by spurious claims of coerced sadness and stage-management,\u201d adding, \u201cThe propaganda of the South Chosun puppets is reaching a level that can no longer be tolerated.\u201d<\/p>\n
KCNA also strongly denied that the government is sending people who did not cry at the mourning events to prison camps or that military units have been ordered to \u2018exterminate\u2019 anybody who tries to defect along with their family.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government-controlled media of Lee Myung Bak and his gang of traitors have also printed impertinent, improvident nonsense about the time and location of the fatherly General\u2019s passing,\u201d it went on. \u201cWe will bring punishment to generation after generation of the gang of traitors that will make them shudder.\u201d<\/p>\n
Analyzing the North Korean media strategy, one defector who used to hold a senior position in North Korea told Daily NK, \u201cGiven that stability of the system is the most important thing for North Korea right now following Kim Jong Il\u2019s death, making claims that the mourning events were conducted with voluntary public participation functions as an attempt to display both internally and externally that there are no problems regarding unity.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to internal sources, most who participated in events during the mourning period were indeed merely going through the motions. Sources say that many of those who did cry were forcing tears, fearing later repercussions if they did not.<\/p>\n
The North Korean authorities also ordered citizens at mourning events to \u2018act tactfully\u2019 and demanding that clothing be, given the inclement weather conditions, quite inadequate, with no hats or gloves allowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cDefamation\u201d is a term often used by North Korea\u2019s external media, notably whenever internal human rights issues are raised, such as during the prominent public events last year calling for the return of Shin Suk Ja and her two daughters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The North Korean media has hit back at reports that people who did not participate in the mourning period events for Kim Jong Il are being severely punished, calling the claims \u201cthe scandalous slander of underhanded people.\u201d. The criticism came in response to claims by a North Korean source on January 10th that, \u201cThe authorities […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":169,"featured_media":18040,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wikipediapreview_detectlinks":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18038","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n