Amid the government’s emphasis on war preparedness and the “tense situation” on the Korean Peninsula, North Korean civil-military groups participated in a 20-day drill in December, a source in North Pyongan Province said Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons.
According to the source, the Worker-Peasant Red Guards – made up of factory and company workers and farm laborers – conducted military drills through the end of the month. The militia exercise was longer and more intense than previous ones, and militia members prepared their own food and lived in the field.
The militia members trained not only with small arms and machine guns, but also with artillery such as field guns, automatic cannons, and multiple rocket launchers. The exercise proved difficult, however, as it was the first time many of the participants had been trained in precision fire with automatic cannons and multiple rocket launchers.
Several people collapsed while marching up and down hills in the field with all their equipment, the source said.
North Korean authorities said the intensive drills were due to the “political situation on the Korean Peninsula, which is becoming more unstable by the day,” the source said. In essence, the authorities used the drills to remind people that tensions are rising due to “external circumstances.”
Some of the Worker-Peasant Red Guards who participated in the militia drill supplied cadres with alcohol, cigarettes, and money to reduce the intensity of the drill, the source said.
“Everyone is struggling, so nobody wants to eat, sleep, and train outside in the cold. We get dragged away when they call for drills, but this time people likely wanted to run away because the training was too hard.
“They say you need to bring strength to train properly and money to train easily. Because you can train a little more easily if you give some money, most people bring some money if they can, and the officials managing the drills make them easier if they are paid.”
During the recent 9th Plenary Session of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, North Korea called for “completing combat preparations in the armed militia sector, which is responsible for part of the national defense…[This will be done by] improving the operational command standards of the commanders of the Worker-Peasant Red Guards and the combat ability of the personnel by innovating training contents and methods so that they can actively confront the enemy regardless of the fighting methods it uses.”
In light of this, it appears that North Korea will continue to respond to military tensions by expanding the use of civil-military organizations such as the Worker-Peasant Red Guards and Reserves and intensifying militia training as part of efforts to bolster popular support for the regime.
Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.
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