North Koreans have enough to be miserable about, so it couldn’t have been too difficult to produce some crocodile tears when Kim Jong-il went to meet his maker. Nevertheless, those whose pleasure at the lunatic’s demise overwhelmed their ability to squeeze out the necessary number of tears have been duly punished.

From here:

Authorities in North Korea are reportedly punishing citizens – six months of hard labour – who didn’t mourn hard enough over the death of “eternal leader” Kim Jong-il.

Anyone who didn’t attend the histrionic mass gatherings in Kim’s honour, or who did attend “but didn’t cry and didn’t seem genuine,” could be subjected to six months in a labour camp, reports the South Korea-based Daily NK newspaper.

Being chastised for inadequate devotion to the beloved leaders of man-made egalitarian paradises is not new. The fear of being the first to stop applauding Comrade Stalin when he rose to speak was so great that a bell had to be rung so the Great Leader could be heard.

It’s odd how things tend to become reversed: it would make more sense to hear the applause at Kim Jong-il’s death and the weeping when Stalin rose to speak.