crimesandcuriosities: According to government legislation imposed within the strict borders of North
crimesandcuriosities: According to government legislation imposed within the strict borders of North Korea, there is a current law which stems from the idea of guilt by association - or ‘yeonjwaje’. In other words, if state authority deems a crime committed as ‘serious’ enough, immediate relatives of the perpetrator are also susceptible to suffering the consequences. It is also possible that a further three generations of the offender’s family may have to serve sentences for the crime, despite a lack of their own personal involvement.One such crime which qualifies as serious enough to enforce ‘guilt by association’ is suicide. To commit suicide in North Korea is perceived as equivalent to an act of treason, as it essentially demonstrates that the individual was dissatisfied or unhappy with being under the command of the nation’s leader - currently Kim Jong Un. Subsequently, as the “offender” is deceased in this situation, disciplinary measures may be extended to other family members, who instead suffer at the hands of the regime. -- source link