Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, has instructed local authorities to implement a ban on suicides in response to a significant surge in the reported figures. He has described suicide as “treason against socialism”. The order also stated that local government officials would also be held accountable for failing to prevent people from killing themselves in their jurisdiction.
A spy agency has reported that the number of suicide cases in North Korea was up by 40% as compared to the previous year. According to the information received, most of the suicides were caused by severe poverty and starvation. A spokesperson for the South Korean National Intelligence Service said, “There are a lot of internal unrest factors in North Korea due to people’s hardships.” This secretive law against suicide was passed in emergency meetings held across the country, reported by Radio Free Asia.
One meeting recorded 35 cases of suicide this year in Chongjin City and Kyongsong County alone. Most cases involved whole families taking their lives together. There are so many reasons why the country’s people are facing such adversities and unfortunately, this has been going on for decades now.
Another report showed that the deaths due to starvation in the country have also been tripled which is another reason for such a drastic increase in suicide cases across the country. An official in the meeting said, “Most of the suicides were caused by severe poverty and starvation and no one is able to come up with a countermeasure now.” He also added that “despite the suicide prevention policy ratified by the General Secretary, the officials were not able to come up with an appropriate solution.”
