More than 5,000 soldiers who had completed their military service or had received an early discharge have reportedly been deployed to so-called “rough and dangerous areas” such as coal mines, farms, and fishing villages.
The move follows a decision by the North Korean government to shorten the country’s military service requirement from nine or 10 years to seven or eight years for men, and from six or seven years to five years for women.
A source told Daily NK on Mar. 25 that the Second Division of the Supplementary Ranks Bureau (in charge of dispatching and discharging troops) chose about 5,000 people and sent related orders to each branch of the military.
As a result, the first group of troops who would have received early discharge from the military this spring (with the second annual discharge period scheduled to take place in the fall) was forcibly discharged to various areas of the country without being able to return home. Despite a claim by the state-run “DPRK Today” on Mar. 23 that the group volunteered for the deployment, members of the group were not given a choice, according to the source’s account.
Nevertheless, North Korean authorities are focused on promoting the idea that “this generation of young soldiers who have volunteered to serve in struggling sectors [of the economy] is setting a proud example for the Korean People’s Army.”
Female soldiers, male soldiers with certain medical conditions, and soldiers who had received recommendations to attend university were excluded from the group deployment. In contrast, more than 70% of the male soldiers scheduled for discharge this spring were placed on the group deployment list. It appears that the authorities’ goal was to mobilize as many discharged soldiers as possible to improve the civilian economy.
“The authorities stated that no one can be left off the list,” the source explained. “Since [the authorities] only made the decision to deploy the troops last weekend, they had to rush to deploy special buses and trains to transport [the soldiers] to their assigned areas.”
Soldiers forced to participate in the sudden deployment are not the only ones expressing frustration at the sudden change in where they are being deployed – their families are reportedly frustrated as well. According to the source, they are particularly concerned about the possibility of a future loss of status.
“[The soldiers and their families] think that if they get assigned to work in the coal mines, they will probably end up back in their hometown after a while without a change in status,” the source explained.
“But if they get assigned to work in the countryside, some parents worry that their children’s’ songbun will completely shift to that of the peasantry,” he added, using a term referring to social status in the country.
The source further explained that soldiers who served on the “frontlines” have been deployed to areas near their hometowns, while soldiers who served in “rear areas” have been dispatched to other locales. The authorities appear to have shown a minimal level of consideration for soldiers who served in more difficult areas of the country.
The authorities appear to have shown at least a minimal level of consideration for soldiers who had already served in difficult areas of the country.
The Storm Corps, light infantry, and members of military branches that use specialized equipment such as tanks, armored cars, and airplanes were also excluded from the dispatch order.
“It was already difficult for the government to discharge soldiers and send them back into society without giving them entry into the Party,” the source said. “The authorities may have felt that dispatching them to these rough areas [to do even more work for no reward] would be unreasonable.”
Translated by S & J
