Good post, MBN. I watched the whole thing! Lucky girl was rewarded with the opportunity to lay flowers at the feet of a couple of Kim statues. But what did she do to deserve such commendation?
North Korean state media released a statement related to the event, explaining Ri "displayed the heroic self-sacrificing spirit of safeguarding the security of the headquarters of the revolution in an unexpected circumstance," according to an AFP translation.
The brief commentary made many wonder what the "unexpected circumstance" referred to may have been. Park Kun-Ha, a North Korean defector, told AFP it was "very rare" for the medal to be awarded to a traffic cop and added that he suspected "it might have been linked to an assassination attempt disguised as a traffic accident."
Max Fisher, however, wrote on the Washington Post website that Ri's honor may be less sensational. Fisher says that according to North Korean news organization New Focus International's sources, Ri might have been honored for putting out a fire near a propaganda poster. "The poster allegedly bore the name of leader Kim Jong Un," Fisher added.
The brief commentary made many wonder what the "unexpected circumstance" referred to may have been. Park Kun-Ha, a North Korean defector, told AFP it was "very rare" for the medal to be awarded to a traffic cop and added that he suspected "it might have been linked to an assassination attempt disguised as a traffic accident."
Max Fisher, however, wrote on the Washington Post website that Ri's honor may be less sensational. Fisher says that according to North Korean news organization New Focus International's sources, Ri might have been honored for putting out a fire near a propaganda poster. "The poster allegedly bore the name of leader Kim Jong Un," Fisher added.
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