The North Korean government has reportedly banned the use of sarcasm, against their leader Kim Jong-un and his authoritarian regime, since August, a Pyongyang official told Radio Free Asia on Friday. The isolated nation's citizens have been warned, through mass meetings, against even indirect criticism of the state.
The official reportedly said, "The main point of the lecture was 'keep your mouths shut!'" Statements including, "This is all America's fault", which if said ironically could imply the opposite, are not to be used, the radio channel r
Recent expressions of public dissent, in the form of anti-state graffiti, have reportedly put the leader on edge. The meetings were held in Jagang province, very close to the nation's border with China and Yanggang province.
The official said citizens, particularly government employees, have started expressing their ire against the administration's tendency to blame other countries, "when a problem’s cause obviously lies elsewhere," the broadcasting agency reported. Some citizens refer to their leader as "a fool who cannot see the outside world”, as he did not attend events, held in Russia and China, to mark the anniversary of the end of the Second World War.
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