{"id":3083,"date":"2017-04-28T11:55:27","date_gmt":"2017-04-28T02:55:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.01.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang-2\/2017\/04\/report\/20170424-army\/"},"modified":"2021-07-08T13:36:17","modified_gmt":"2021-07-08T04:36:17","slug":"20170424-army","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/2017\/04\/military\/20170424-army\/","title":{"rendered":"\uff1cPhoto Report on N.Korea\uff1e Ex-Soldier Confesses \u201cWar Is Impossible for Hungry People\u2019s Army!\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

A non-commissioned officer in a loose fitting uniform says \u201cI am on the way to my home.\u201d The bread was given to the soldier by the reporter who felt pity for him. Taken in August 2013 at Northern part of North Korea (ASIAPRESS)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

2017\/Apr\/24<\/em><\/p>\n

The duty for a newly conscripted North Korean soldier is to secure his own food from the first day. Most of the military bases keep their own field, called \u201cside field,\u201d to produce vegetables and corns as the state can\u2019t supply enough food to the military.<\/p>\n

Everyday works for the soldiers include \u2018jobs for eating\u2019 like cultivation, harvest and threshing other than military training. The soldiers should also catch fish in the river or glean woods and straws for heating and cooking.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople\u2019s Army of North Korea absolutely can\u2019t wage a war in reality, even though the South Koreans and foreigners say that our army seems powerful by watching the military parade,\u201d said one defector who served in a parachute troop.<\/p>\n

Their duty was to land at the rear of South Korea by using aircraft and make disturbance. But \u201cthe reality was so awful,\u201d he said and continued \u201cFirst of all, the aircraft for jump training couldn\u2019t take off due to fuel shortage. So the alternative was to jump from a tall tower. Most of the soldiers couldn\u2019t board the airplane because the weight of equipment, including parachutes, exceeded 70kg. They didn\u2019t have enough strength to carry with their empty stomach.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kim Jong-un regime repeats the self-praise of \u201cOur country is a military power!\u201d through the state media. They skillfully use the video of powerful military parade or missile launching for it.<\/p>\n

It is said, \u201cIt is impossible to wage a full scale war for the People\u2019s Army. Soldiers suffer from hunger. Military vehicles are in short supply, but even those vehicles can\u2019t move due to the fuel shortage.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is certain that North Korea continues improvement of missile capability and nuclear weapon, which becomes a major threat for Japan, Korea and the US. However, it is pretty doubtful whether they have the practical power to wage a total war.<\/p>\n

It is necessary to understand the reality of North Korea, not biased by the propaganda of Kim Jong-un regime.  (ISHIMARU Jiro)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The soldier carries gleaned corn leaves and stalks as cooking fuel. The cart seems to be borrowed from a nearby farmer. Taken in October 2008 at South Hwanghae Province by Shim Ui-cheon (ASIAPRESS)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Border guards are preparing for catching fish in the river. Sakju County was photographed in August 2007 from Chinese side. (ASIAPRESS)<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Soldiers in underwear only are weeding a corn field. Sakju County was photographed in August 2007 from Chinese side. (ASIAPRESS)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Rimjingang_banner001\"<\/a>* Editor\u2019s notes on North Korean reporters<\/a><\/a> <\/strong><\/span>
\n ARCHIVE(pdf) >><\/a><\/span>
\n DPRK MAP >><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  2017\/Apr\/24 The duty for a newly conscripted North Korean soldier is to secure his own food from the first day. M\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3529,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[5,9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3083"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3083"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3083\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3529"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3083"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3083"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3083"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}