In some regions of South Hwanghae province, a baseless rumor is spreading that “disaster will strike your family if you don’t move your ancestor’s grave by the end of the year.” As the rumor spreads, a so-called “group to wipe out superstition” has launched a sweeping crackdown.
“In Anak county, South Hwanghae province, a superstitious rumor has quickly spread through mostly agricultural communities since late September that your family will come to ruin if you don’t move your ancestor’s grave by the end of the year,” a Daily NK source in South Hwanghae province said recently, adding that the rumor continues to spread. “Ultimately, a group to wipe out superstition was organized, and it has been cracking down.”
The Ministry of State Security’s local branch began moving after learning that people scheduled to move their ancestors’ tombs had delayed the move upon hearing the rumor — the source of which remains unknown — and that unrelated people who heard the rumor had begun visiting fortune tellers, believing their hardships were due to bad luck this year.
‘Anti-socialist behavior’
The Ministry of State Security was already wary that people increasingly believed in superstition rather than the party and state, despite authorities’ indoctrination efforts. So when a superstitious rumor began spreading and causing public unrest, the ministry launched an immediate crackdown.
“The Ministry of State Security designated the latest rumor as anti-socialist behavior, claiming it further inflames public insecurity, and has cracked down on the rumor since mid-October, jointly organizing groups to wipe out superstition with the police,” the source said.
The group has been cracking down hard on people who spread or believe superstitious rumors, considering them “anti-socialist elements.”
The group has also kept a close eye on fortune tellers near marketplaces, shamans and intermediaries involved in relocating tombs. If any of those individuals exhibit problematic behavior, they are arrested immediately.
Having prosecuted a vigorous crackdown since last month, the group takes its mission seriously, calling superstition the “beginning of the counterrevolution.” With the emergence of a new slogan — “Superstition, feng shui and the like are counterrevolutionary” — in several counties in the province, including Anak county, the public is suddenly on edge.
“Nobody knows where or how the rumor started about disaster befalling your family if you don’t move your ancestor’s tomb,” the source said. “However, the Ministry of State Security is harassing even unrelated people as it ramps up crackdowns to wipe out superstition.”
