Funerals of Kim II-Sung and Chiang Kai-shek

There seems to be a chilling similarity between the funerals of former North Korean Leader Kim II-sung (김일성) and his Taiwanese counterpart Chiang Kai-shek (蒋介石).

I think most of us have heard or even seen footages of the massive grief, not to mention hysteria, in the wake of Kim's death.

But in Taiwan too? Gosh.

According to Yvonne Chang, during Chiang's funeral in 1975, "crowds of civilian mourners form long lines on the desolate-looking streets of Taipei, many weeping on their knees and some climbing up construction fences to pay their last respects." (Sung-sheng Yvonne Chang, Literary Culture in Taiwan: From Martial Law to Market Law, Columbia University Press, 2004)

Okay, at least it wasn't mass hysteria in Taiwan, especially given Chiang's reign of terror on the island. Kim's reign of terror, on the other hand, was at least undertaken with a massive brainwashing of minds to love-and-worship-thy-Great-Leader-as-God. And bet you will not find in the Hermit Kingdom anti-social behaviors such as climbing over construction fences.

But the slight similarity was still a little unnerving.