◆ Special Leave and University Incentives for Parents of Enlisting Sons
According to reporting partners, authorities have prepared a set of preferential measures this year in connection with enlistment.
"Workplaces are granting leave to households with a child about to enlist, running until the day of departure. The families in question can receive priority service at accommodation facilities and service amenities (restaurants and the like) in the city — though only one family member per enlistee receives this for free, and the rest must pay. Some workplaces with sufficient means are also distributing food rations, but more are unable to do so."
It has also been announced that after five years of military service, outstanding young soldiers will be given the opportunity to enter university. According to ASIAPRESS research, as of last year, mandatory military service was ten years for men and seven years for women (on a voluntary basis). By the time they are discharged, men are around 28 years old and women around 25 — meaning the prospect of university entry after just five years of service would likely appear very attractive to young people who hope to pursue further education.
In the next installment, we will introduce analysis from a North Korean defector who served in an elite unit, examining the tragedy and danger produced by the new "hero myth-making" that began in the wake of the deployment to Russia. (ISHIMARU Jiro)
※ ASIAPRESS communicates with its reporting partners through Chinese cell phones smuggled into North Korea.
