According to government officials who spoke to Radio Free Asia (RFA), North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has issued a secret order to ban suicide after statistics revealed the number was soaring. According to the story, the dictator referred to the action as “treason against socialism” and instructed local governments to take preventive steps.
The dictator’s order made clear that local government representatives would be “held accountable” and asked to take responsibility for reducing suicide rates in their areas. The South Korean National Intelligence Service announced at the end of May that suicides were up roughly 40% over the previous year, though precise numbers have not yet been made public.
The spy service also noted that while citizens in North Korea struggle to make ends meet, violent crimes are also increasing there. “There are a lot of internal unrest factors in North Korea due to people’s hardships,” a spokesperson for South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said.
The private suicide prevention order was given out during emergency meetings of the party committee leaders at the provincial, municipal, and county levels in each province, an official from the northeastern province of North Hamgyong told RFA’s Korean Service under the condition of anonymity.
According to the research, there were 35 suicide incidents in Chongjin and the surrounding Kyongsong county this year, most of which involved entire families taking their own lives. People in attendance at the meeting were, in the official’s words, “shocked by the disclosure of suicide notes that criticized the country and the social system.”
Another official said, “Despite the suicide prevention policy ratified by the General Secretary, the officials were not able to come up with an appropriate solution. Most of the suicides were caused by severe poverty and starvation, so no one can come up with a countermeasure right now.”
