A mysterious act of kindness toward two stranded market vendors in South Hwanghae province has sparked widespread speculation about underground Christian believers after the helper’s cryptic parting words suggested forbidden religious faith.
According to a Daily NK source in South Hwanghae province, somebody stole the merchandise at Haeju Station as a mother and daughter were on a market trip from Chonchon county, Jagang province, to South Hwanghae province in late September.
Determined to get their goods back, the pair reported the theft to the local police, but the police did little to resolve the case for over a month.
“It’s very common in North Korea that police don’t actively get involved,” the source said. “The mother and daughter didn’t know if they could recover their goods, and after having spent all their travel money far from home while they waited endlessly, they ultimately received no help from the state and ended up on the street.”
A surprising act of kindness
The story of the homeless pair hanging around outside the train station spread throughout the entire city. However, the general opinion was that “believing they would get their stolen goods back was stupid to begin with.”
Then, one person visited them. The individual bought food for the mother and daughter, who had been starving for days, and gave them money so they could return home. Residents still talk about what the individual said to the pair after helping them for nothing.
As the mother and daughter were thanking him, he said, “Somebody loves you. Don’t thank me, but thank the person who gave me the heart to help you.” Then he quickly left.
“People who heard about what he said wondered what he was talking about, but people a bit familiar with the outside world whispered that what he said was not ordinary talk,” the source said. “They say the ‘person’ he talked about was the person talked about in religion,” he said, referring to Christianity.
Article 68 of North Korea’s socialist constitution guarantees the freedom of religion, but the regime strictly controls religious activity, viewing it as a threat to its power. Even the constitution includes provisions against using religion to “call in foreign forces” or to “harm the nation’s social order,” and based on this, the regime punishes religious activity as a frontal assault on the country’s monolithic ideology system.
Despite the severe repression, some people secretly keep the faith, with people speculating that the man who helped the woman and her daughter was one of them.
“The latest incident was not simply a moving story, but has caused a minor sensation,” the source said. “With it so hard to survive, many people just ignore those who have been placed in unfortunate circumstances, but the fact that there are people out there taking an interest in other people’s misfortunes and treating them warmly has offered society a bit of consolation and hope.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: dailynk.com
