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Failures of central rationing and equipment <\/span>distribution <\/span>to the military have The \u201cThese In According This The Depending \n\u201cParents \u201cPyongyang At Predictably, the \u201cThe <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Failures of central rationing and equipment distribution to the military have resulted in exacerbated disparities from region to region. According to one Daily NK source, a quick glance at a soldier\u2019s uniform is sufficient to predict his or her region, or even unit. The source from the port city of Chongjin in North Hamkyung Province told […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":122,"featured_media":27795,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wikipediapreview_detectlinks":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[645],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27793","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-economy"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nresulted in exacerbated disparities from region to region.
\nAccording to one Daily NK source, a quick
\nglance at a soldier\u2019s uniform is sufficient to predict his or her region, or even unit.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nsource from the port city of Chongjin in North Hamkyung Province told Daily NK
\non July 17th, \u201cSoldiers get very uncomfortable because they are not getting the
\nappropriate uniforms for each season. That’s why fabric for military uniforms sells so well in the jangmadang <\/i>[market].\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\nuniforms make the soldiers look terrible. You wouldn’t know from looking at some of them whether they were kotjebi <\/i>[homeless orphans] or members of the
\nmilitary,\u201d he remarked. \u201cNowadays, you even need money if you want to wear the
\nright uniform and do your military duty properly.\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\nprinciple, Chosun People\u2019s Army (KPA) soldiers should be provided with two sets
\nof both summer and winter uniforms, in addition to essential toiletries, socks,
\nand undergarments. However, this stopped happening regularly during the Arduous
\nMarch of the 1990s, when the distribution of most types of rations ceased.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nto the source, this state of affairs led some ordinary soldiers and most ranking
\nofficers to go and buy the fabric to make uniforms for themselves. Of course, poorer
\nsoldiers were obliged to either wear whatever they were given, or resort to
\nstealing.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nsituation, which continues today, created a niche market for the fabrics to make
\nmilitary uniforms. According to the Daily NK source, the material for a
\nbasic uniform costs 10-20 USD (at a black market exchange rate of 7,500 KPW\/1
\nUSD), while the material for ranking officers (<\/span>unit<\/span> commanders and higher) runs
\nat about 100 USD.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nfabric used to make uniforms differs depending on rank. General uniforms are
\nmade from <\/span>Tetron<\/i>, a polyester-rayon
\nblend that gives off a soft luster, whereas those of senior officers are made
\nfrom wool for a more refined look. <\/span>Given that a kilogram of rice currently costs in the region of 5000 KPW, this means that even a general uniform can cost its wearer 15-30kg of rice.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n
\non the region where a soldier is stationed, living conditions can vary
\ndrastically. Border Guard units stationed areas near the Tumen and Amnok rivers
\ndo relatively better, as do those with Escort Command and Capital Defense
\nCommand in Pyongyang. The 4th Corps in South Hwanghae Province, 8th Corps in
\nNorth Pyongan Province, and 7th Corps in South Hamkyung Province are also relatively
\ndesirable locations, as they are purported to come with better conditions.<\/span><\/p>\n
\noverwhelmingly prefer their offspring to be with the Border Guards,\u201d the source
\nsaid. \u201cThis is generally because they can take bribes from smugglers and other
\ntraders on the border and reap quite large sums of money. Within three years or
\nso they’ve got enough to get discharged, enter the Party, and build a life
\nfor themselves.\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\nand parts of South Hwanghae Province have decent transportation and guarantee relatively
\nbetter living conditions, making parents feel relieved when their children are
\nstationed there,\u201d he continued. \u201cSome parents will present the Military
\nMobilization Department [Military Manpower Administration in South Korea] with
\nbribes to get their children stationed in those areas.\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\nthe other end of the spectrum are areas under the remit of the 2nd Corps in
\nNorth Hwanghae Province, and especially the 1st and 5th corps in Gangwon
\nProvince, whose poor conditions have earned their members the name \u201cKotjebi<\/i> Corps\u201d, the source claimed. <\/span>
\n<\/span>
\nclass stratum of regional placement within the military results in local spikes
\nin criminal activity by soldiers, Daily NK\u2019s source revealed. For example, \u201cThe
\nnight before the Party meeting to commemorate 20 years since the death of Kim
\nIl Sung, 3-4 soldiers from the 9th Corps in Chongjin assaulted a group of passing
\nsoldiers and robbed them of the uniforms they were wearing and their personal
\nbelongings.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\nMilitary Police has detain the offenders and placed them under interrogation,\u201d
\nhe reported. \u201cPerpetrators usually admit to the crime, and will cite their desire for the victim\u2019s uniform as the motivation.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n