After his past misdeeds came to light, a North Korean soldier at a training academy for logistics officers recently had his admission revoked and his rank demoted to private, Daily NK has learned.
Speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons, a source in North Hamgyong Province told Daily NK on Jan. 5 that the soldier had previously worked in the logistics management department of the 9th Corps before being recommended for the academy.
The man was in the midst of his academy training when he was dismissed from the academy in late December as punishment for abusing his position during goat-breeding duty before entering the academy.
The man’s crimes were linked to a directive issued by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un two years ago. In response to “many soldiers collapsing from malnutrition,” Kim ordered independent platoons to “raise at least 10 goats each and devote their efforts to supplementing the soldiers’ food and improving their fighting ability.” Soldiers from wealthy families were then sent home to buy goats to comply with the order.
Given the difficulty in obtaining the goats, the platoons were instructed to breed the goats to ensure sufficient goat milk and meat for the soldiers. However, for the past two years, the soldier in question failed to report newly born goats to his division and instead sold them in the market or to private households, keeping the profits for himself.
The soldier then used his earnings to bribe and curry favor with his superiors, laying the groundwork for a more comfortable life in the military and a recommendation to attend the officers’ academy.
The man’s misdeeds were finally brought to the attention of his superiors during an end-of-the-year review in December when questions were raised about why the platoon’s goat population had not increased. One unit member accused the man of “making money by secretly selling six goats and goat’s milk to civilians every day.”
“[Unit officers] feared that if this kind of greedy businessman became a logistics officer, he might end up selling off all the unit’s supplies. The political department stepped in and immediately revoked his admission to the officers’ academy and sent him back to his unit as a regular soldier,” the source said.
“The man is currently under investigation while being held in a prison run by the 9th Corps branch of the Ministry of State Security. Those in the unit say it’s the first time someone from the 9th Corps has been kicked out halfway through a program at the officers’ academy. It has also been announced that the man will stand trial in early January.”
Translated by Rose Adams. Edited by Robert Lauler.
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