North Korea’s in ‘crystal meth’ epidemic as drugged up couple noticed having knife battle
A couple in North Korea were spoted having a crystal meth fuelled knife fight, as the mysterious dictatorship reportedly battles with a drug epidemic
North Korea reportedly has a growing drug problem (Image: Uri tours)
Reports are emerging out of North Korea that the Asian dictatorship is suffering a methamphetamine crisis after another drug induced incident made headlines. Daily NK, who cover a range North Korean issues from neighbouring South Korea, reported that a husband and wife had been caught attacking each other with knives in a busy street, with the scary confrontation only broken up by a passing police officer in the city og Hamhung.
The pair, who are believed to have taken crystal meth or ‘ice’, are both described as being in their 40s, apparently began rowing over financial issues, with the argument quickly turning physicial before blades were drawn.
An anonymous source told the outlet that a terrified neighbour rushed into their apartment to separate them but was unable to calm the drugged-up pair, before a passing police officer eventually intervened, shouting at the couple until they stopped fighting.
Crystal meth is reportedly a problem in North Korea (Image: Getty Images)
The source told Daily NK: “If it were an ordinary marital spat, breaking it up and leaving would have been fine. But there were traces of ice everywhere, and the only thing the officer did was yell until they stopped fighting.”
The incident has reportedly sparked outrage among locals, although the source claimed such drug-fuelled chaos has become disturbingly commonplace.
The incident took place in the city of Hamhung (Image: Korea Konsult)
The source said: “Couples doing ice together and causing these fights happens so often in Hamhung. Unless somebody ends up dead, nobody even talks about it, and an ordinary couple’s fight is just treated like background noise.”
North Korea is reportedly battling with a serious crystal meth epidemic, despite strict laws existing about taking drugs.
A 2016 US State Department report detailed how methamphetamine consumption had spread across society, including among students, factory workers and wealthy citizens.
Hamhung is thought to be among the most impacted by the rise in drug use(Image:
AFP/Getty Images
)
Hamhung, where the knife fight occurred, has also been specifically identified as a hotspot for the dangerous drug.
Some North Koreans have reportedly even used crystal meth as medicine, while others have handed it out as gifts to government officials. The country has also been linked to international drug trafficking, with North Korean officials implicated in smuggling operations dating back to the 1970s
