Crying To Keep From Dying of the Day: Dramatic footage released by North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency shows “grief-stricken” citizens mourning the death of their Supreme Leader, Kim Jong-il, with emphatic wailing in scenes reminiscent of the ostensible outpouring that followed the passing of North Korea’s founder — and Kim Jong-il’s father — Kim Il-sung.
It has been noted that veteran state TV anchorwoman Ri Chun-hui announced both Kim Sung-il’s death in 1994, and, yesterday, his son’s.
[tokyomango / thelede.]
I am not surprised in the least by this reaction. Though many of you may not know this, I currently live in Seoul, South Korea. This “wailing” and “sobbing” is a display of grief which can be seen commonly in traditional (read: a long time ago) Korean funerals. Often times the close family would cry this way at the funeral of their loved one. In the video you can hear the North Korean people wailing “아버지,” which means Father. These people are raised to believe that Kim Jong-Il (김정일) is an infallible leader, and the father of every North Korean citizen. I believe that many of these reactions are real, and the rest are simply reacting this way as to not call attention to themselves, lest their ideals be questioned (read: sent to a work camp or executed).
