A soldier with the 43rd Brigade, a military unit based in Yanggang Province’s Samjiyon city, recently had his toes amputated due to severe frostbite suffered during winter training exercises, Daily NK has learned.
According to a Daily NK source in the province on Friday, a soldier with the brigade’s First Battalion suffered frostbite to his feet during ski training in bitter cold temperatures of 40 below zero.
However, the man received no proper treatment and had to have all the toes on both feet amputated.
The First Brigade usually conducts training to neutralize enemies who infiltrate Samjiyon city, which is near the China-North Korea border, but in winter, it conducts ski training in the mountains.
The unit has appeared at events attended by North Korea’s supreme leadership since the Kim Jong Il era, and in the winter, it engages in eight to 10 hours a day of ski training, regardless of weather conditions, so it can take part in events featuring the leadership at any time.
Soldiers often suffer frostbite to their hands, ears or feet during winter, and the soldier in question was hospitalized at an army infirmary after his feet suffered severe frostbite following prolonged ski training in the cold.
The source said the soldier’s feet were swollen and oozing puss, so he complained of pain to his commanders during training. The commanders forced him to train anyway, accusing him of faking it to get out of drills.
In the end, the soldier lost feeling in his toes, and was hospitalized only when his toes turned black.
However, the military infirmary simply prescribed medicine to rub on the frostbite, and then proceeded to ignore the man for over a week.
In short, the soldier was put in a situation in which medical practioners had no choice but to amputate all his toes.
The source said soldiers based in Samjiyon not only have to deal with constant hunger due to poor rations, but they are also forced to train in the bitter cold because Kim Jong Un could show up for an event at any time.
“In the end, the soldier had his toes amputated, but none of the commanders will take responsibility for it,” he said, adding, “He was just quietly sent home.”
Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.
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