Three soldiers with the 125th Light Infantry Brigade of the Eighth Corps of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) voluntarily returned to their unit after going AWOL around the anniversary of Kim Il Sung’s death on July 8. With the three men returning on their own volition, the military unit has collectively heaved a sigh of relief.
According to a Daily NK source in North Korea on Wednesday, the three soldiers recently returned to base about 20 days after deserting in early July.
While this brought the incident to a conclusion, the military’s security department investigated what the men did during their unapproved leave and why they deserted in the first place.
During the investigation, the three soldiers said they deserted because of hunger and a desire to sleep soundly, if only for a single night. They also cited acts of cruelty by their superiors as a decisive motivating factor for running away from their unit.
According to their testimony, the trio roamed about North Pyongan Province after their defection. Due to tightened crackdowns on interregional travel and accommodations as part of COVID-19 lockdowns, they hid in the mountains during the day and descended into civilian villages during the night to obtain food.
Daily NK’s source said that the three men explained they had returned on their own after one of them said that with the “Victory Day” holiday marking the armistice that ended the Korean War fast approaching on July 27, they would face lighter punishments if they just returned to base.
The 125th Light Infantry Brigade simply investigated the deserters, handing down no punishments, the source said.
Not only that, but the commander of the unit called in the deserters’ direct superior, beseeching him to “take good care” of his men and “never curse or beat them,” he added.
The source explained that as a special forces unit, the 125th Light Infantry Brigade usually hands out harsh punishments to deserters.
“In this case, however, army commanders appear to have chosen to soothe rather than punish them, taking into consideration that they were teenagers who haven’t been in the army that long,” he said.
Daily NK reported in late July that the 125th Light Infantry Brigade had gone into a state of emergency after the three recently recruited soldiers ran away from their posts.
