Power outage forces Chongjin hospital to cremate body without consent
A hospital in Chongjin, the capital of North Korea’s North Hamgyong province, cremated a patient’s body without the family’s consent this month, after power outages disabled the morgue’s refrigeration equipment. The secret cremation came to light when a grieving relative arrived to collect the body and found it gone. The family’s outrage has since prompted […]
A hospital in Chongjin, North Korea, cremated a deceased patient's body without the family's consent due to power outages that disabled the morgue's refrigeration equipment. The incident was discovered when a grieving relative arrived to collect the body and found it missing. The family's outrage led to an investigation by a district party committee.
Hospital officials initially could not explain the cremation, but eventually admitted to doing it on their own. North Koreans typically retrieve bodies from hospitals soon after death, but in this case, the lack of electricity caused bodies to decompose rapidly in the morgue. Hospital staff decided to move the remains to a crematorium, cremating the body without notifying the family.
When relatives confronted hospital leadership, officials blamed the family for the delay instead of addressing their own decision. The case highlights the impact of North Korea's chronic power shortages on hospitals, not only disrupting medical equipment but also hindering the handling of the dead. Local residents largely support the family's stance, criticizing the hospital for cremating the body without consent.
Written by urgent.news from Daily NK's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
