North Korea Banned Laughing, Drinking And Shopping For 11 Days To Observe Anniversary Of Kim Jong Un's Father's Death — Those Caught Were 'Taken Away And Never Seen Again'

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In a move reflecting the government’s tight control over its populace, North Korea banned laughter, alcohol consumption and leisure activities for an 11-day mourning period two years ago.

The directive, reported by Radio Free Asia and covered by Newsweek, was to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the death of Kim Jong Il, the father of the nation’s current leader Kim Jong Un.

The mourning period, which began on Dec. 17, 2021, was marked by stringent restrictions on public expressions of joy and personal freedom.

“During the mourning period, we must not drink alcohol, laugh or engage in leisure activities," an unnamed resident of Sinuiju, North Korea, was quoted as saying in the Radio Free Asia report. The severity of these restrictions was highlighted by the New York Post, emphasizing the regime’s demand for public displays of grief and respect for the former leader.

Kim Jong Il, who died in 2011, was a central figure in North Korean politics and the continuation of the Kim dynasty. His death anniversary is observed annually, but the 2021 observance was extended by one day to mark the decade since his passing. According to the Telegraph’s report, the extension of the mourning period underscored the regime’s dedication to preserving the memory of its past leaders.

These restrictions were not limited to emotional expressions. According to The Indian Express, grocery shopping was also banned on Dec. 17, the day Kim Jong-Il died.

 

The mourning rules were so stringent that, according to the same report, "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."

The consequences for violating these prohibitions were severe. News reported that residents who broke the rules risked arrest and could be treated as ideological criminals. “They were taken away and never seen again," revealed the unnamed resident, pointing to the potential dire consequences of noncompliance.

This 11-day period of mourning in North Korea is a reminder of the regime’s control over the most private aspects of its citizens’ lives, dictating not just public behavior but also personal emotions and activities. The intensity of these measures during such observances reflects the government’s ongoing efforts to solidify its ideological dominance and maintain a collective identity centered around the ruling Kim family.

North Korea's Kim warns of 'nuclear attack'

North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un says Pyongyang would not hesitate to launch a nuclear attack if an enemy provokes it with nuclear weapons, state media reported on Thursday.

Kim made the remark as he, and his daughter, met with soldiers working for the military's missile bureau.

According to state media, Kim congratulated them on this week's missile launch, which has been widely condemned by the U.S., South Korea, and Japan.

North Korea on Monday fired an intercontinental ballistic missile that, according to Japanese officials, had a range of more than 9,000 miles and could hit anywhere in the U.S.

At a meeting of the UN Security Council on Tuesday, Pyongyang was widely criticized:

“We have used every word to describe the DPRK's continued threats to international peace and security. Flagrant. Unacceptable. Reckless. Egregious. All of these words still apply. But today I offer another word. Ridiculous.

“I must begin by expressing once again our condemnation in the strongest possible terms of the utterly unacceptable provocation by North Korea in violation of multiple Security Council resolutions."

The U.S. and South Korea have increased the intensity of joint military drills, with South Korea's defense ministry releasing footage of soldiers shooting targets.

Along with Japan, they have also activated a new system to detect and assess North Korea's missile launches in real-time.

Washington had until now shared such information separately with South Korea and Japan.

North Korea has slammed the new system as part of U.S. efforts to incite confrontation.

It says it has a sovereign right to operate a ballistic missile program for self defense.

How could North Korea use its nuclear weapons?

A Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile is launched during a drill.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said a missile test this week shows his country would not hesitate to launch a nuclear attack if an enemy provokes it with strategic weapons, as observers say he is moving to make such forces operational.

Kim's comments are the latest in a series of statements and legislative changes that have outlined an expansive, ambiguous, and potentially destabilising doctrine, analysts said.

Here is what we know about how and when North Korea says it could use its nuclear weapons.

WHEN COULD NORTH KOREA USE ITS NUCLEAR WEAPONS?

North Korea says that it opposes war, that its nuclear weapons are for self-defence, and that they are necessary for protection in the face of "hostile" policies from Washington, South Korea, and Japan.

In a speech at a military parade last year, Kim said his nuclear force was tasked with preventing war through deterrence, and potentially carrying out strikes against anyone who violates the North’s “fundamental interests”.

Analysts said the comments appeared to mirror language used by the United States' Nuclear Posture Review, which says it will use nuclear weapons to defend its “vital interests” or those of its allies.

In September 2022, North Korea enshrined the right to use preemptive nuclear strikes to protect itself in a new law.

Among the scenarios that could trigger a nuclear attack would be the threat of an imminent nuclear strike; if the country's leadership, people or existence were under threat; or to gain the upper hand during a war.

Under the law, Kim has "all decisive powers" over nuclear weapons, but if the command-and-control system is threatened, then missiles may be launched "automatically".

State media said the new law bans sharing of nuclear arms or technology with other countries, and is aimed at reducing the danger of a nuclear war by preventing miscalculations among nuclear weapons states and misuse of nuclear weapons.

However, if Kim delegates launch authority to lower commanders during a crisis, that could increase the chances of a catastrophic miscalculation, analysts said.

North Korea further adopted a constitutional amendment to enshrine its policy on nuclear forces in September 2023, with Kim pledging to accelerate production of nuclear weapons to deter what he called U.S. provocations.

North Korean Defence Minister Kang Sun Nam said in July that deployment of U.S. aircraft carriers, bombers or missile submarines in South Korea could meet criteria for its use of nuclear weapons.

WHERE COULD NORTH KOREA TARGET?

In 2017, the year North Korea launched its first successful intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), its foreign ministry threatened a nuclear strike on “the heart of the U.S.” if Washington ever showed the "slightest sign of attempt to remove our supreme leadership".

That year North Korea also threatened to use its nuclear weapons to sink Japan into the sea.

In 2022 the powerful sister of Kim Jong Un, Kim Yo Jong, issued a statement warning that the North would not hesitate to use nuclear weapons if attacked by South Korea.

Kim Yo Jong laid out a detailed scenario in which the North mobilised its nuclear forces in response to an attack by the South and used them to "completely dampen the enemy's war spirits, prevent protracted hostilities and preserve one's own military muscle".

WHAT WEAPONS DOES NORTH KOREA HAVE?

North Korea has not tested a nuclear weapon since 2017, but analysts say it has most likely continued to produce uranium and plutonium for warheads.

An April study by the Institute for Science and International Security estimated Pyongyang may have 31 to 96 nuclear weapons, depending on the types of devices it is building.

Kim said in 2021 said that North Korea was able to “miniaturise, lighten and standardize nuclear weapons”. In January 2023, he said the country would “exponentially expand” its nuclear arsenal and “mass produce” tactical nuclear weapons.

Pyongyang has also pushed ahead with new missiles to deliver nuclear weapons, including massive liquid- and solid-fuel ICBMs with the range to reach the United States, short-range missiles to deliver tactical warheads, and its first nuclear-armed cruise missiles.

North Korea's use of the term “launch drill” instead of “test firing” to describe an ICBM launch this week suggested the country is ready to mass-produce and deploy Hwasong-18 ICBMs, Cheong Seong-chang, an expert on North Korea's political strategy at the Sejong Institute near Seoul, said in a commentary on Tuesday.

“Next year, North Korea will carry on its power for power posture by testing solid-fuel IRBMs, and SLBMs from strategic nuclear attack submarines and developing multi-warhead ICBMs,” he wrote.

Kim Jong Un says 'when Washington makes a wrong decision,' ICBM launch proves best option.

Kim Jong Un told North Korean newspapers this week that the country's recent successful missile launch proves he has options against aggression from Washington, D.C.

Kim, the supreme leader of North Korea, celebrated the country's "overwhelming strength" following the launch, according to state outlets.

"Noting that it was an occasion to clearly show what action the DPRK has been prepared and what option the DPRK would take when Washington makes a wrong decision against it, [Kim] appreciated that the drill once again and strikingly displayed the DPRK's will for toughest counteraction and its overwhelming strength," an article in Korea Central News Daily read.

"DPRK" stands for the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea" — the country's official name.

Kim Jong Un DPRK Missile Administration
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un views a missile launcher as North Korea conducts what it says is a drill to launch a Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile at an unknown location in this picture released by the Korean Central News Agency.

Central Military Commission of the Workers’ Party of Korea described the launch as "a powerful warning measure under the grave situation, in which the hostile forces’ anti-DPRK military threat that has persisted for the whole of this year is getting evermore undisguised and dangerous even at this moment of year-end December," KCNA reported.

Kim was present at the site of the Monday launch, joined by commanding officers of the DPRK Missile Administration, as he was briefed on the drill.

South Korea North Korea missile report

The projectile, which has the capability of traveling more than 9,300 miles and reaching the mainland U.S., flew 73 minutes before landing in an area west of the Japanese island of Hokkaido, Reuters reported, citing Japan’s Defense Ministry and Parliamentary Vice Minister of Defense Shingo Miyake.

South Korea’s military said the North Korean missile was launched at an elevated angle in an apparent attempt to avoid neighboring countries.

The ICBM launch came after North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile into the sea on Sunday, South Korea said, with Pyongyang blaming the U.S. for escalating military tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Kim JOng UN Missle Launch
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un views the launch of a Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile during what North Korea says is a drill at an unknown location in this picture released by the Korean Central News Agency.

South Korea criticized the Sunday launch as a "clear violation" of U.N. Security Council resolutions that have banned the North from using ballistic technologies.

North Korea's Kim again threatens use of nukes as he praises troops for long-range missile launch.

FILE - In this undated photo provided Monday, Dec. 18, 2023, by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watches a test launch of what it says is an intercontinental ballistic missile from an undisclosed location in North Korea. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP, File)

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country has a policy of not hesitating to launch a nuclear strike on its rivals if provoked, as he praised troops involved in its recent intercontinental ballistic missile test, state media reported Thursday.

Since adopting an escalatory nuclear doctrine last year, Kim has repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons preemptively. But many foreign experts say North Korea has yet to obtain functioning nuclear missiles and is also unlikely to use its nukes first because it’s outgunned by the U.S. and its allied forces.

North Korea on Monday conducted its first intercontinental ballistic missile test in five months, calling the drill a warning over confrontational U.S. and South Korean moves. North Korea cited a recent U.S.-South Korean meeting on boosting their nuclear deterrence plans.

The North’s Korean Central News Agency said Kim met troops from the General Missile Bureau on Wednesday to congratulate them on the launch of the developmental solid-fueled Hwasong-18 missile, the North’s newest and most powerful ICBM.

During the meeting, Kim said the launch demonstrated the evolution of the North’s nuclear doctrine and strategy “not to hesitate even with a nuclear attack when the enemy provokes it with nukes,” KCNA said.

Kim said peace is guaranteed by a war posture of being willing to launch preemptive strikes on the enemy anywhere to make it feel fear, KCNA said.

Last year, North Korea adopted a law that stipulates a broad range of situations in which it can use nuclear weapons. Since the beginning of 2022, it has also test-fired about 100 ballistic missiles, many of them nuclear-capable weapons targeting the U.S. and South Korea. Monday’s Hwasong-18 launch was the weapon’s third test-flight this year.

The U.S. and South Korean governments have repeatedly warned that any attempt by North Korea to use nuclear weapons would result in the end of the Kim Jong Un government. The allies have also expanded their military training, which Kim views as invasion rehearsal.

After the North’s latest ICBM launch, the U.S., South Korea and Japan began sharing real-time missile warning data on North Korea and established details of their trilateral exercises in the coming years. On Wednesday, the U.S. flew long-range B-1B bombers for joint aerial training with South Korean and Japanese warplanes in a demonstration of strength against North Korea.

In an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting on Tuesday, the U.S., South Korea and their partners maintained that North Korea’s repeated missile launches threatened international peace and violated Security Council resolutions that ban any ballistic activities by North Korea.

Kim’s sister and senior official, Kim Yo Jong, said in a statement on Thursday she “feels very unpleasant” over the U.N. council meeting, which she said was held at “the brigandish demand of the U.S. and its satellite countries.”

She said the U.N. council must hold the U.S. and South Korea accountable for heightened tensions as they stage “all sorts of military provocations all year round.”

The North’s latest ICBM launch won’t likely earn the country fresh international sanctions. China and Russia — locked in separate confrontations with the U.S. — have repeatedly blocked any U.N. Security Council responses to the North’s banned ballistic missile tests since last year.

In a joint statement released Thursday, the top diplomats from South Korea, the U.S. and Japan said the North’s ICBM and other recent missile launches serve as a reminder of the need for all countries to fully implement North Korea-related U.N. Security Council resolutions that prohibit the country from acquiring technologies and materials to advance its unlawful missile program.

The statement said the three countries will work closely with the international community to block the North’s efforts to finance its weapons programs through the exploitation of overseas workers and malicious cyber activities.

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