North Korean soldiers deployed to Unpa County for recovery efforts, including the rebuilding of houses damaged by flooding, are stealing from locals, Daily NK has learned.
“On the Supreme Leader [Kim Jong Un]’s orders, a lot of soldiers have been sent to flood-ravaged Unpa County, but they have forgotten [their duty] to focus on recovery efforts and are committing acts of robbery and looting,” a source in North Hwanghae Province told Daily NK on Saturday.
Soldiers began arriving in Unpa County from Aug. 9 for the recovery efforts and to build new houses. Initially, the soldiers fixed roads, levies and other “land adjustment” efforts, but more recently they have been working on rebuilding houses, the source, who requested anonymity for security reasons, told Daily NK.
The soldiers have reportedly been housed in an area near where locals live. According to the source, the soldiers behave poorly: They mount “surprise attacks” on the houses of ordinary people or threaten ordinary folk if they refuse to give the soldiers “help.” Soldiers also reportedly walk into restaurants and eat food “on tab” as opposed to paying for meals.
Soldiers reportedly try to sell off construction materials they have stolen for bread, alcohol, cigarettes and other things; however, locals are by and large refusing to help out because North Korean authorities have told them not to support such behavior.
Knowing that soldiers would engage in such corruption once they arrived, North Korean officials threatened locals with “legal” action if they accept cement, wood and other construction materials from the soldiers, according to the source.
Military leaders have already told the rank-and-file that any illegal sale of siphoned off construction materials will be dealt with through “military law”; however, this has not prevented hungry and tired-out soldiers from engaging in bad behavior, the source said.
Soldiers who face rejection from locals who are trying to abide by the rules sometimes end up taking revenge by looting houses or stealing all the food from local food stalls, he added.
Many people in the county are reportedly expressing distaste about having the soldiers there because they disrupt local business activities.
“Petitions are being sent to county government agencies about the poor behavior of the soldiers, but [local officials] are unable to do anything,” the source said, adding that the local government should be giving the soldiers food but cannot because there is not enough to go around.
