SEOUL, July 18 (UPI) — A North Korean woman killed herself after pressure from authorities to take part in a mass-mobilization movement known as the “200-day battle.”
The unidentified woman in her 40s from Sinpa County in Yanggang Province was in poor health, a source in the province told South Korean news service Daily NK.
But despite her health condition North Korean authorities required that she volunteer free labor on behalf of the Kim Jong Un regime.
The woman killed herself while facing pressure from the government, the source said.
According to witnesses, the woman was heard frequently saying, “What is the point of living like this,” referring to her personal hardships and health condition.
“She chose the most extreme option in the face of state pressure to pledge forced labor, after leading a difficult life, living hand-to-mouth selling goods, rather than farming,” the North Korean source said.
The demands of North Korea’s mass-mobilization movement mean there are no provisions for taking care of the sick.
“Kim Jong Un professes a love of the people but ultimately the authorities are pushing people to their deaths,” the source said.
The 200-day battle was announced at Kim’s Seventh Party Congress and is part of his five-year economic development strategy, according to News 1.
But the policy could be hurting ordinary people’s livelihoods.
The price of rice, a staple North Korean grain, has jumped recently in the wake of the movement.
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