[imText1]North Korea’s deteriorating economic situation in the late-80’s had adverse negative effects on the North Korean military.
As replenishment of rations slowly decreased, soldiers also began to slacken in their attitudes and began to steal and plunder homes.
In the summer of 1990, soldiers from the engineering construction brigade were sent to build a highway from Heechon to Hyangsan. This was the onset of change in the attitudes of North Korea’s military.
This incident took place in the district of Hyangsan, North Pyongan province where a group of North Korean soldiers began to verbally criticize a secret service agent as he passed a local village. Like many other agents, this agent was one of many disguised North Koreans sent to the South for spywork.
While carrying a small trunk the agent worker “H,” was making his way to his hometown. “H” had been selected by authorities to work as an agent against the South ever since he was little and had been promoted to this superior position with the privilege of a pass that allowed him to travel between 3 countries including South Korea. After 20 years, “H” was finally returning home in celebration of his father’s 60th birthday.
The North Korean intelligence department which looks after these agents recruits children aged 7~10, and trains them at a young age to become the ideal spy. Adults and youths 17 years and older are rarely selected as they have already matured and there is less time to train them.
Further, if a child is taken away from one’s family at a young age, there is the advantage of stopping secret information from leaking out. Irregardless of the situation, these spies must never reveal their work to anyone, including their parents.
The Department of Society and Culture of the Rodong Party is responsible for all the actions involved in this operation. The role of the department is to dispatch secret agents to South Korea and abroad as well as training and forming underground assemblies of spies. In a way, it is one of the most important departments in the North Korean regime. The operations are tightly monitored that even the average North Korean citizen is unaware its existence.
Soldiers from the engineering brigade fight for cigarettes
With orders from his superior, H left for his hometown with a carefree heart, promising to return after meeting his parents. Furthermore, as a secret agent he was well trained in martial arts and had confidence that nothing could go wrong in his native country.
H’s home was secluded amidst the country and at least 8km walk from Hyangsan station. However, on his way he was confronted by engineering soldiers who had been dispatched to work on the construction of a highway.
H’s smart attire and trunk were uncommon to the soldiers who remarked, “Hey, brother~ Why don’t we smoke a cigarette?”
At the request of the soldiers, H opened his trunk which contained expensive liquors, cigarettes and foreign gifts for his father’s 60th birthday.
On seeing the alcohol, the soldiers began to persuade H to share the goods. H explained to the soldiers that the liquor was for his father’s birthday seeking understanding and indicated to the soldiers the location of his home telling them that they were welcome to visit on the day of the celebration.
However, this response did not satisfy the soldiers. They demanded that all the gifts in the trunk be shared amongst the soldiers and in the end even began hitting H. Nonetheless, the engineer soldiers who had little experience in combat and were of no match to H, who had been trained as a secret agent. Within a few moments, the soldiers were lying collapsed on the ground while H continued on his way home.
Conversely, the situation worsened that evening when the soldiers who had regained their consciousness went to their captain in charge and disclosed the day’s events. On hearing that his subordinates had returned having been beaten by a commoner, the captain bellowed, “You stupid XXX, how can you go around getting beaten by a commoner!”
The following day the captain made an order, “Let’s go to the house of that commoner.” Since H had already informed the soldiers of his father’s birthday and the location of his home, finding a secluded home in the country was not difficult.
On the day of his birthday, H’s father saw the soldiers coming towards his home and told his son to stay indoors. Though he tried his best to deal with the soldiers on his own, the soldiers barged into his home. The soldiers accused H’s father for hiding his son and acted violently towards him.
As the situation intensified, H passed a note to his mother which had a phone number written on it. He told her to dial the number and inform of the current situation, then he escaped from the house.
Momentarily, the captain who was acting violently saw H and yelled, “Kill that XXX!” However, H’s natural instinct as a spy could not be controlled. Once again, he defeated the soldiers to the outrage of the captain who signaled an axe to a soldier and screamed “Hey, that axe!”
In the split of a second, the soldier threw the hand axe which landed at the back of H’s head, killed him instantaneously.
Captain and conspirators sentenced to death, military brigade sent to work at a coal mine
Soon after, 2 women wearing black glasses landed in a helicopter in the yard of H’s home. The two women came having been contacted by H’s mother. They confirmed H’s corpse and informed the engineer’s brigade immediately.
The surprising thing was the behavior of the two women who had landed in the helicopter.
They ripped the epaulette of the commander and scrutinized, “Which battalion are you from?” then instantly executed the commander and captain on the spot with a pistol. Then they yelled, “You XXX, you just killed a person that cannot even be replaced by a whole brigade” and began crying helplessly.
These women worked for the secret agency against the South. Kim Jong Il deeply cherished his agents and called them “one in ten thousand’ rather than calling them one in a hundred.” These agents work either not at the government building but at the “central building number 3” for safety and protection.
Following this incident, all subordinate soldiers from the brigade were sent to the coal mines and the brigade itself dispersed.
However, as North Korea faced the food crisis in the mid-`90’s, looting by North Korean soldiers worsened. These revolts against the people by the military according to the “Military First Politics” marched on.
