Many North Korean soldiers are locked in fierce competition for coveted “work brigade” assignments, where military oversight is significantly more relaxed than standard barracks duty.
A military source inside North Korea told Daily NK recently that “a company commander of a company under the Seventh Corps stationed in South Hamgyong province is under investigation for receiving $500 from a soldier in exchange for assigning him to a work brigade.”
North Korean military units operate farms, livestock pens and other side businesses to secure supplementary food. While soldiers are fully mobilized at key times such as planting season, during normal periods only those assigned to work brigades remain at these sites to manage the farms or livestock.
Being assigned to a work brigade allows soldiers to live under relatively looser discipline and control compared to being in the barracks, making these assignments viewed as an “escape from military life” among North Korean soldiers.
Small side businesses are located within or near military units, but large-scale operations designated by the state are often situated at some distance from the units. Since working at these large-scale sites provides a legitimate opportunity to leave the base, soldiers strongly prefer assignment to these larger work brigades.
“The military is supposed to assign soldiers whose health is too poor to participate in training to these work sites, but recently, as work sites are seen as comfortable duty stations, soldiers compete for selection,” the source said. “For soldiers, simply being able to stay outside the unit is itself a privilege.”
Typically, three to five soldiers per company are assigned to work brigades. Selection is at the company commander’s discretion, leading to frequent instances of soldiers bribing commanders for these assignments.
“Even after being assigned to a work brigade, soldiers can be immediately replaced for even minor mistakes, so they regularly provide commanders with food items or bribes to maintain their positions,” the source said. “This creates a structure where company commanders can continuously collect bribes through their authority to select work site personnel.”
As competition for these assignments intensifies, cases of soldiers asking parents to provide money for bribes are increasing.
“Competition to get out to work sites is so fierce that getting assigned to a work brigade has become a battle in itself,” the source said. “It’s not uncommon for soldiers to call parents back home asking them to send money for bribes to secure work brigade assignments.”
The source added, “It’s not just soldiers from well-off families who request money from parents. Because military life is so difficult, soldiers from economically struggling families often insist their parents somehow come up with the money.”
Meanwhile, it is expected the officer under investigation for bribery will face at minimum a forced discharge, the source said.
