After a Ministry of People’s Security [MPS]
agent attempted to extract exorbitant bribes from a woman for something
entirely out of her control, a woman in Hyesan, Yangkang Province jumped off a
cliff in an act of defiance.
The incident took place right at the end of June, amid large-scale
beautification projects throughout Yangkang Province ahead of the 70th
anniversary of the Korean Workers’ Party on October 10th. Legions of residents
have been mobilized to contribute to these ongoing efforts, forced to perform arduous tasks while literal paths on which their livelihoods hinge disappear before their very eyes.
“Sidewalks have all been removed amid city
beautification construction efforts in Hyesan,” a source in the Yangkang
Province reported to Daily NK July 16th. “The woman is a rice merchant and as
she was dragging her cart on the roadway, due to the fact that there was no
sidewalk, an MPS agent approached her.”
This news was corroborated by an additional source in the same province.
The source explained that the squabble quickly escalated
after the MPS agent demanded she pay a fee so prohibitive it was clear he
expected a bribe, saying he “would get it from her by any means necessary.”
She vehemently refused, declaring, “It’s better to die than live like this,” and then jumped off the adjacent ledge. Fortunately, she survived the fall but
sustained significant injuries, including multiple broken ribs and a fractured leg.
Those crowding around the scene were
sympathetic to her plight–presumably because it directly reflects their own–according to the source, who said people around the scene all seemed to nod in
agreement when she declared, “How am I supposed to live like this?” prior to making the leap.
The MPS agent was seen fleeing the site, but the severity of the victim’s injuries have most speculating that it will only be a matter of time before he is caught and forced to face repercussions of some nature for his deplorable actions.
Moreover, given that the incident occurred just before the mourning period for the Suryeong [Kim Il Sung] coupled with the upcoming local elections, tensions are already on overdrive among perpetually anxiety-ridden MPS officials.
“The current climate is one where even the
slightest blunder results in cadres being removed from their posts, so it seems
that this bribe-hungry MPS agent won’t be safe from meeting the same fate,” he
concluded.
*The content of this article was broadcast to the North Korean people via Unification Media Group.
