North Korea is once again tightening control over soldiers. With frequent thefts by hungry soldiers, people have been ordered to report any soldiers seen leaving their bases without permission. The poor food situation in the military has been common knowledge in North Korea for so long that most parents, worried about malnutrition, send money to their sons and daughters every month. A reporting partner in Hoeryong, North Hamgyong province, reported this in late July. (HONG Mari / KANG Ji-won)
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◆ No outings without officer escort
The reporting partner explained recent soldier movements and crackdowns in Hoeryong as follows:
"They're intensively cracking down on soldiers entering civilian homes. Orders came down to report to neighborhood watch security posts any soldiers seen on unauthorized leave without an escorting officer from their unit. This is because soldier theft is frequent. Even safety agents (police) are cracking down on soldiers on unauthorized leave, and there's a system in place to hand them over to the military police."
While monitoring soldiers’ criminal behavior was originally the role of the military police within the army, nowadays it's also a police duty. Contact between soldiers and civilians was strictly prohibited during the COVID pandemic. Though this has been relaxed now, soldiers still cannot go out freely and must be accompanied by an officer when leaving their base. This is not only to prevent virus spread within the military but also to prevent crimes like robbery and extortion by soldiers, as well as information leaks.
July and August are before the corn harvest, so military food supply conditions are very poor every year. With incidents of hungry soldiers going on unauthorized leave to steal increasing, controls appear to be tightening again.
◆ Parents struggle with monthly remittances
The extremely poor meals in the Korean People's Army have been common knowledge in North Korean society for decades. There are still no signs of improvement.
Starting this year, military units have been dispatched to farms for agricultural support work. Several reporting partners living in northern regions report that the nutritional condition of deployed soldiers is extremely poor, saying "They come to rural houses pretending to ask for water but asking for food" and "Soldiers are so weak that farms are giving them snacks."
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Previously, malnourished soldiers were often sent home to recover and returned to their units when they got better. However, according to the Hoeryong reporting partner, recently going home is no longer permitted. While this is a measure to prevent internal military information from leaking, it's also because parents and soldiers trying to avoid returning to their units are increasing.
As a result, worried parents increasingly visit areas near military bases. "Sending money in some form every month has become normal," the reporting partner says.
※ ASIAPRESS communicates with its reporting partners through Chinese cell phones smuggled into North Korea.
