North Korean authorities are punishing mourners who failed to exhibit sincere sadness and despair after the death of Kim Jong Il on Dec. 17, the Daily NK reported Wednesday.
The online North Korean newspaper, which is published by opponents of the governing regime, said a source in North Hamkyung Province revealed the information. The source told the paper “authorities are handing down at least six months in a labor-training camp to anybody who didn’t participate in the organized gatherings during the mourning period, or who did participate but didn’t cry and didn’t seem genuine,” according to the Daily NK.
There are an estimated 200,000 offenders and families held in North Korean prison camps, according to a May 2011 report from Amnesty International. The report details two types of camps known as “zones.” One zone, known as a Total Control Zone, is for people who have committed “serious crimes.” People in these camps are never released.
The second type of zone, called a Revolutionary Zone, are camps for people who have committed what North Korean authorities perceive as less serious crimes. These crimes may include making critical comments toward government policy or trying to cross the border. Sentences in Revolutionary Zone camps can range from a few months to 10 years.
The report estimates that 40 percent of inmates in the camps will die from malnutrition, and every former inmate interviewed for the report had witnessed at least one public execution while being held.
The late Hwang Jang Yop, a North Korean defector and former official, described similar punishments after the death of Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il’s father and the founder of North Korea, in 1994.
“The party conducted surveys to see who displayed the most grief, and made this an important criterion in assessing party members’ loyalty,” Yop wrote. “Patients who remained in hospitals and people who drank and made merry even after hearing news of their leader’s death were all singled out for punishment.”
The Daily NK said its source also reported that North Koreans who were accused of being critical of the country’s dynastic system were being sent to re-education camps or banished with their families to remote areas.
North Korea today said that Kim Jong Il’s body will be embalmed and enshrined in the palace that houses his father’s remains. The country also said it plans to build a new Kim Jong Il statue and construct “towers to his immortality.”
Editors' Picks
North Korea reportedly punishing insincere mourners
ABC News – Fri, Jan 13, 2012@yahoonews on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook
Explore Related Content
1 - 4 of 12
Most Popular
[
[ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 2]],
'http://yhoo.it/KeQd0p',
'[Slideshow: See photos taken on the way down]',
' ',
'630',
' ',
' ',
],
[ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 7]],
' http://yhoo.it/KpUoHO',
'[Slideshow: Death-defying daredevils]',
' ',
'630',
' ',
' ',
],
[ [['know that we have confidence in', 3]],
'http://yhoo.it/LqYjAX ',
'[Related: The Secret Service guide to Cartagena]',
' ',
'630',
' ',
' ',
],
[ [['We picked up this other dog and', 5]],
'http://yhoo.it/JUSxvi',
'[Related: 8 common dog fears, how to calm them]',
' ',
'630',
' ',
' ',
],
[ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 5]],
'http://bit.ly/JnoJYN',
'[Related: Did WH share raid details with filmmakers?]',
' ',
'630',
' ',
' ',
],
[ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 3]],
'http://bit.ly/KoKiqJ',
'[Factbox: AQAP, al-Qaeda in Yemen]',
' ',
'630',
' ',
' ',
],
[ [['have my contacts on or glasses', 3]],
'http://abcn.ws/KTE5AZ',
'[Related: Should the murder charge be dropped?]',
' ',
'630',
' ',
' ',
],
[ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 5]],
'http://yhoo.it/JD7nlD',
'[Related: Bristol Palin reality show debuts June 19]',
' ',
'630',
' ',
' ',
],
[ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 1]],
'http://bit.ly/JRPFRO',
'[Related: McCain adviser who vetted Palin weighs in on VP race]',
' ',
'630',
' ',
' ',
],
[ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]],
'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj',
'[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]',
' ',
'630',
' ',
' ',
],
[ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]],
'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/',
'Click image to see more photos',
'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg',
'630',
' ',
'AP',
],
[ [['Titanic', 7]],
'http://news.yahoo.com/titanic-anniversary/',
' ',
'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/b/4e/b4e5ad9f00b5dfeeec2226d53e173569.jpeg',
'550',
' ',
' ',
],
[ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]],
'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/',
'Click image to see more photos',
'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg',
'630',
' ',
'AP',
],
[ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]],
'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/',
'Click image to see more photos',
'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg',
'500',
' ',
'AP',
]
]
[
[ [['did not go as far his colleague', 8]],
'29438204',
'0'
],
[ [[' the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 4]],
'28924649',
'0'
],
[ [['because I know God protects me', 14], ['Brian Snow was at a nearby credit union', 5]],
'28811216',
'0'
],
[ [['The state news agency RIA-Novosti quoted Rosaviatsiya', 6]],
'28805461',
'0'
],
[ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]],
'28771014',
'0'
],
[ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]],
'28759848',
'0'
],
[ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]],
'28747556',
'0'
],
[ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]],
'28744868',
'0'
],
[ [['short answer is yes', 7]],
'28746030',
'0'
],
[ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]],
'28731764',
'0'
],
[ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]],
'28723797',
'0'
],
[ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]],
'28712293',
'0'
],
[ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]],
'28687424',
'0'
],
[ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]],
'28667224',
'0'
],
[ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]],
'28660934',
'0'
],
[ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]],
'28647343',
'0'
],
[ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]],
'28630306',
'0'
],
[ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]],
'28493546',
'0'
],
[ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]],
'28413590',
'0'
],
[ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]],
'28413590',
'1',
'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ',
'on Yahoo! Music',
'http://music.yahoo.com'
],
[ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]],
'videoID',
'1',
'overwrite-pre-description',
'overwrite-link-string',
'overwrite-link-url'
]
]
ABC News Top Stories
- 9/11 Widow Died of Natural Causes
- Doctor Spits Blood at Cop After Arrest
- Football Star Exonerated of Rape Conviction, Won't …
- Obama 'Truth Team' Conflates Smears, Criticisms
- Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks
- Dozens of Children Killed in New Syria Attack
- Pope's Butler Arrested in Scandal
- Biden: US Wins 'Whenever Playing Field Is Level'
ABC Video News
1 - 1 of 10
Add your ideas and help make it happen. Join the conversation.
Should Bill and Donna take on more risk to boost their business?
How Josh's comment on a Remake America video laid the groundwork for something bigger.
4,466 comments