'Traffic accidents in N. Korea rising'

By Yi Whan-woo

Traffic accidents appear to be more frequent in North Korea after Kim Jong-un took power in December 2011, according to South Korean researchers.

A Kangwon National University research team said last week Pyongyang's state-controlled media outlets frequently carried reports on traffic accidents in South Korea, the United States, Japan and other nations between 2012 and 2015. It did not give details on the data.

The school said it indicates the problem of traffic accidents in North Korea has worsened, claiming the secretive state had not made relevant reports in the past.

The North also issued nationwide decrees in 2013 and 2015 warning of stern punishment for traffic violators.

In the 2013 decree, the repressive regime picked drunk driving, driving without a license and hit-and-run as representative traffic violations, and warned perpetrators of fines, suspension of drivers' licenses and even seizure of vehicles, according to the research.

The 2015 decree portrayed traffic violations as a "poisonous act" that impedes the regime's efforts to build a "great socialist economic power" and that it benefits enemies abroad.

"When we look at the two decrees, we can assume traffic in North Korea became heavier and accidents increased," the research team said. "The repeated reports about foreign traffic accidents appear to be an attempt to prevent increased traffic accidents from leading to negative perceptions about the regime."

The researchers said drunk driving and reckless driving are believed to be the main reasons for the increase in the North's traffic accidents.