North Korea has imposed an 11-day laughing ban on its citizens to honor the death of former Supreme Leader Kim Jong Il, the father of current leader Kim Jong Un.
According to the Washington Examiner, North Koreans are prohibited from laughing, consuming alcohol or engaging in leisure activities.
The ban went into effect on Friday, the 10th anniversary of the leader's death. A report stated that North Koreans were forbidden from buying groceries that day. A resident of Sinuiju, North Korea, said that ''in the past, many people who were caught drinking or being intoxicated during the mourning period were arrested and treated as ideological criminals. They were taken away and never seen again.''
The ban is so strict that even a family tragedy does not allow people to show emotion. The resident stated that ''even if your family member dies during the mourning period, you are not allowed to cry out loud, and the body must be taken out after it's over. People cannot even celebrate their own birthdays if they fall within the mourning period.''
A resident of the southwestern province of South Hwanghae said that ''it's a monthlong special duty for the police. I heard that law enforcement officials cannot sleep at all.''
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