Flood victims in North Pyongan province who were not selected for a state-sponsored trip to Pyongyang are frustrated at missing out, with some particularly despondent individuals driven to suicide.
“The flood victims in North Pyongan province are lamenting their fate. Many of them are in poor health and have lost hope because they were unable to go to Pyongyang even though they suffered as much as those who were taken to the North Korean capital,” a source in the province told Daily NK on Tuesday, speaking anonymously. There are grumblings everywhere, and there was even a double suicide, prompting the provincial party committee to take measures to bring the public to heel.”
After North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered some at-risk residents of the flood-stricken areas to be brought to Pyongyang, rumors spread recently in North Pyongan province that people suffering from diabetes, pancreatic cancer and cirrhosis of the liver have been admitted to Pyongyang Second People’s Hospital for urgent treatment. According to the source, these rumors have caused envy among the struggling residents of the area.
“Stories are told of how the government made sure that sick people who arrived in Pyongyang received regular treatment for at least three months and were even given the ‘immortal love potion,” he said. “This has caused great disappointment to the flood victims who had to stay behind. Many people have lost the will to move on and are lamenting their plight because they feel excluded from these benefits, including the chance to receive free treatment and access to advanced medicines.”
Elderly couple decides to end their lives
An elderly couple in North Pyongan Province who had been battling the disease were found dead on the afternoon of Aug. 16. In a suicide note written on a small piece of paper, the couple said they saw no way forward after the floods and could not afford to treat their illness.
The couple’s suicide was soon brought to the attention of the provincial party committee, which reportedly asked the provincial police to handle the case quietly and prevent rumors from spreading among the public.
According to the source, the provincial police bureau said, “The complaints we are hearing from people who were unable to travel to Pyongyang are disturbing the marshal (Kim Jong Un) as he is striving to rebuild the country after the floods.”
The police also issued the following warning: “Suicide is a betrayal of the socialist motherland and will result in a red line being drawn in the registry, which will be a major obstacle to the social advancement of family members.”