And don’t for a minute believe North Koreans, aside from a very few defectors, oppose this. They love their govt. The outpouring of grief and sadness when Kim Il-sung died was genuine. They weren’t faking it.
My brother worked for a time in China for Simplot. The Chinese arranged for a visit to North Korea. My brother said it was mondo bizarro then, just after Kim Jong il manifested.
Yes, they were monitored at those cry-athons and if they did not show up in public at least twice to grieve, they and their families could be shipped off to death camps.
So, yes, they better cry.