The wife of a collective farm managing director in Onsong, North Hamgyong Province, has reportedly committed suicide by self-immolation due to circumstances surrounding her husband’s demotion.
“The wife of the managing director of the Onsong County Collective Farm lit herself on fire after a bout of depression,” said a source in North Hamgyong Province on November 19. “Those around her couldn’t help because she poured fuel over herself and lit a match.”
Her husband had been fired from his position for corruption and it appears she committed suicide after suffering from depression due to the circumstances, the source reported.
“Her husband was found guilty of corruption and was expelled to a collective farm,” the source continued. “She had lived pretty well as the wife of a Party official, but after suddenly becoming a farmer and losing all of her money and status it appears she decided to committed suicide.”
According to a separate source in North Hamgyong Province, there is also the possibility that the woman lit herself on fire in a fit of rage after a verbal fight broke out while her house was being transferred to the family of the new managing director.
“A new managing director arrived and normally the former managing director is supposed to give up their house and leave immediately,” she said.
“A verbal fight broke out as the house was being transferred; however people have said that she probably lit herself on fire in rage [over the situation].”
According to Article 30, Section 5 of the country’s Residential House Act, “All residential houses built by the state on collective farms and those owned by a collective organization are to be assigned to farmers, workers and administrators who work on the farm.” This implies that the former managing director was required to hand over his house to his successor.
“The managing director lost his loving wife, his honor and his house and he is now working as a farmer,” an additional source reported to Daily NK. “He hasn’t been able to get over the shock of what happened and is unable to form relationships with those around him.”
North Korea has some of the worst levels of corruption in the world. According to the World Governance Indicators 2018 report released by the World Bank in October, North Korea’s corruption grade was -1.48, placing it in the 200th position out of the 209 countries surveyed.
All sources familiar with this incident noted that the former managing director lost his job after misappropriating grain harvests and receiving kickbacks for turning a blind eye to certain activities.
