A photo of Hoeryong taken in 2013 (Raymond Cunningham, Flickr, Creative Commons)

A family of four suffering from severe financial difficulties recently committed suicide in Hoeryong, North Hamgyong Province, Daily NK has learned.

“Locals were shocked by the death of the family of four in Hoeryong on Mar. 23. The whole family seems to have settled on suicide because they despaired of being able to make a living,” a reporting partner in the province told Daily NK on Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity due to security concerns. 

According to the reporting partner, the family had been supported by the mother, a fortysomething surnamed Lee, who had sold cigarettes in a local marketplace.

But business slowed after the outbreak of COVID-19, which gradually eroded the family’s financial situation. Recently, things had gotten so bad that the two children, one in middle school and one in high school, had not even been able to attend class.

Anxious to support her family, Lee tried switching from cigarettes to selling various other products, but she soon exhausted her capital and ran up debt.

With no more funds available, Lee could not run a business or even feed her children. So on Mar. 15, she borrowed RMB 400 (around USD 58) from a close friend, the reporting partner said. 

“That evening, locals saw Lee picking up several kinds of food, including pork, smoked duck and rice cake. A week later, the family’s bodies were found. Before their group suicide, they appear to have used the money Lee borrowed to dine on everything they hadn’t been able to afford for so long.

“The family chose suicide over the agony of scraping by in grinding poverty. News about the family’s death has led many to resent the government for failing to take any action in regards to starving families.”

Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler. 

Daily NK works with a network of reporting partners who live inside North Korea. Their identities remain anonymous due to security concerns. More information about Daily NK’s reporting partner network and information gathering activities can be found on our FAQ page here.  

Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.

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If you or anyone you know is in crisis, please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention website for links and helplines.