North Korea Bans Laughing For 11 Days

North Korea has banned people of the country from showing any sign of happiness for 11 days in order to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of the death of Kim Jong-il.

According to a report by The Telegraph, the restrictions include an explicit ban on laughter and alcohol during the 11-day period of mourning. On the exact anniversary of Kim Jong-il’s death, December 17, North Koreans will even be banned from going grocery shopping.

“During the mourning period, we must not drink alcohol, laugh or engage in leisure activities,” a North Korean from the northeastern border city of Sinuiju told Radio Free Asia (RFA).

“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.”

Kim Jong-il, who ruled the kingdom from 1994 until his death from a heart attack in 2011 at the age of 69, was the father of the current Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un.

His rule coincided with one of the darkest periods in North Korea history – the famine of the mid-1990s which is euphemistically known as the ‘Arduous March’. It is estimated that as many as 3.5 million people died during a four-year period.

Kim Jong-Il ruled North Korea for 17 years until his death in 2011.