Kim Jong-un’s Latest Criticism Crackdown
Like everything else, North Korea’s new sarcasm ban will probably be blamed internally on the US.
North Korea has officially banned sarcasm in everyday conversations. The “supreme leader” is apparently afraid people will only agree with him ironically, and he might be right. The running joke in North Korea right now is that he is a “fool who cannot see the outside world.”
There have been mass meetings put on by government officials to issue the warning that sarcastic statements about the regime and Kim Jong-un “will not be forgiven.” The oppressed people of North Korea have been told that veiled criticisms will be seen as “hostile action.”
Kim Jong-un bans sarcasm, in a move that will definitely stop people from making fun of him: https://t.co/G8nuqITjjy pic.twitter.com/YLh5qHFd3I
— New York Magazine (@NYMag) September 9, 2016
- A source told Radio Free Asia’s Korean Service that in Jagang province, “One state security official personally organized a meeting to alert local residents to potential ‘hostile actions’ by internal rebellious elements. The main point of the lecture was ‘keep your mouths shut’.” The same warnings were issued in Yangang province as well, according to sources.
- Among many expressions, the phrase “this is all America’s fault,” is now banned. The regime’s constant paranoid blaming of the US and Japan for it’s own failures has become so pronounced that it’s being mocked by citizens.
- The dictator is known for being an isolationist, and he gained criticism among his own government’s officials when he didn’t attend celebrations of the end of WWII in Russia and China. This led to them calling him “a fool who cannot see the outside world.”
- Around North Korea, there have been reports of increasing acts of dissent, including graffiti making fun of the government regime and its supreme leader.
Next: read the incredible story of 13 North Koreans who defected from China to South Korea for work, and How to defend against missiles from North Korea.