The South Korean National Intelligence Service reported at the end of May that suicides were up about 40% compared to last year.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has issued a secret order to ban suicide in the country, after data showed numbers skyrocketing, according to government officials who spoke to Radio Free Asia (RFA). The dictator described the act as “treason against socialism” and has ordered local governments to take preventative measures, as per the report.
The order by the dictator also stressed that the local government officials will be ”held accountable” and they must take responsibility for preventing suicides in their areas
Though the exact figures have not been revealed, the South Korean National Intelligence Service reported at the end of May that suicides were up about 40% compared to last year.
“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 spy agency also added that violent crimes are also on the rise in North Korea as people struggle to make ends meet.
An official from the northeastern province of North Hamgyong told RFA’s Korean Service on condition of anonymity that the confidential suicide prevention order was delivered in emergency meetings in each province of the party committee leaders at the provincial, city, and county levels.
The report said that there were 35 suicide cases this year this year in Chongjin and nearby Kyongsong County while in most of the cases, the whole families ended their lives together.
The official added that those who attended the meeting were “shocked by the disclosure of suicide notes that criticized the country and the social system,” as per Radio Free Asia.
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.”
