A security guard’s fatal shooting of his girlfriend at Sinpo Shipyard, in South Hamgyong province, has left local residents stunned.
“A male security guard in his 30s working at Sinpo Shipyard shot and killed his girlfriend, who was a coworker in her 20s,” a source in the province told Daily NK on Monday.
According to the source, the incident was provoked by an argument between the two. The guard had been infuriated to learn his girlfriend had secretly been set up with another man.
The couple had been dating for two years and had even talked about marriage. But they had never met each other’s parents because of differences in their schooling and birth. The woman was a graduate of the Sinpo University of Marine Products, but the guard had not gone to university and was apparently from a politically undesirable background.
After learning that his girlfriend had met another man introduced by her parents, the guard contacted her, but she refused to meet him. When she showed up for work at the shipyard at 8 a.m. on Oct. 2, the guard was waiting for her at the entrance, blocking her way.
The guard tried to escort his girlfriend away from the entrance as soon as he spotted her. But she pushed him away, and in the end the two had it out there at the shipyard gates, as numerous people passed through on their way to work.
During the argument, the woman said her new man – a graduate of a political university, and now a policeman – was a better catch in every respect than the guard. The relationship was over, she declared.
The remark touched upon the guard’s pride, and he pulled his pistol out and fired at the woman.
The woman was rushed to the hospital immediately afterward but could not be saved.
Authorities raise concern about use of live round
The Sinpo police department, which is investigating the incident, has played up the fact that the first bullet fired was not a blank, but a live round.
Sinpo Shipyard, as one of the places where North Korea’s submarines are built, equips its security guards with one blank and two live rounds. But according to regulations, the first round in the chamber is supposed to be the blank, followed by the live rounds.
That prompted the police department to investigate whether shipyard security is complying with firearm regulations. The police even called in the shipyard’s chief of security to question him on the matter.
The guard who fired in anger is currently in detention for the police investigation. If convicted of murder, he will likely receive at least a life sentence.
“There were numerous witnesses of the incident, which occurred when people were heading to work. Not only the shipyard but the entire city was unsettled by this shocking shooting,” the source said.
The Daily NK works with a network of sources in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. For security reasons, their identities remain anonymous.
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October 16, 2024 at 06:30AM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)