{"id":4194,"date":"2019-05-08T10:18:28","date_gmt":"2019-05-08T01:18:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.01.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/?p=4194"},"modified":"2019-05-17T17:43:58","modified_gmt":"2019-05-17T08:43:58","slug":"military-officers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/2019\/05\/recommendations\/military-officers\/","title":{"rendered":"\uff1cInside N. Korea\uff1e Embittered Embezzlers: Demoralized and Destitute, Military Officers Turn to Crime to Survive"},"content":{"rendered":"
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(Photo) A thin soldier buys goods from the marker. He is an officer. Photographed by ASIAPRESS in August, 2013<\/p><\/div>\n

\u25c6 A 40-year-old major in the military with a monthly wage of only 0.97USD<\/h2>\n

Officers in the North Korean People\u2019s Army are professional soldiers who are allowed to marry and have a family while they serve. As such, officers were seen as attractive partners by young woman and were much-envied by their peers.<\/p>\n

But that is a story of the past. Nowadays, young women tend to avoid marrying military officers and are often told, \u201cDon\u2019t marry an officer. It brings too much hardship.\u201d This is because conditions for officers have become very poor.<\/p>\n

Since February, 2019, an ASIAPRESS reporting partner in North Korea has been investigating the salaries and food rations provided to civil servants, including officers of the People\u2019s Army. The monthly salary of North Korean civil servants is set by the state as the national wage.<\/p>\n

What about the actual conditions for officers of the People\u2019s Army though? As conditions differ according to rank, the reporting partner examined the salaries and food rations provided for officers, usually in their 40\u2019s, with the intermediate rank of major. The reporting partner\u2019s investigation produced the following research.<\/p>\n

The government\u2019s salary is 8,500 won (approximately 0.97 USD) per month. Food rationing, given as white rice, is provided 100% of the time but family members are sometimes not provided for. Officers are not given any side dishes, medical supplies, or daily commodities at all. Alcohol, cooking oil, and pork are provided only with special distributions on important national holidays such as the birthdays of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il.<\/p>\n

A monthly salary of 8,500 won is small even in North Korea. That amount can only purchase 2 kg of rice in the local market and is equivalent to what a girl in middle school could earn in 2 days by selling bean sprouts in the corner of a station or market.<\/p>\n

State salaries were originally set under the assumption that the state distribution system would be in effective operation. Since the 1990\u2019s, however, the state distribution system has been virtually suspended. State salaries, therefore, now have no bearing on consumer life and no one relies on them.
\nNext page : Embezzlement rampant as officer morale declines\u2026 <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u25c6 Embezzlement rampant as officer morale declines<\/h2>\n

So, how do officers live? This what the investigating partner had to say:<\/p>\n

\u201cOfficers cannot live without the support of their families doing business in the markets. Originally, participation in markets by family members of officers was strictly prohibited, but there was no other way for them to survive. In addition, money collected from the parents of enlisted soldiers is another important source of income.\u201d<\/p>\n

North Korean men are required to serve 10 years of military service upon graduation from high school at the age of 17. Women, meanwhile, if drafted, are to serve 5-6 year military terms. As the military\u2019s food situation is very poor, however, many suffer from malnutrition shortly after entering service. Parents, worried about their sons and daughters, often visit the bases to provide them with food or money. When doing so, they usually give some money or goods to officers in return for this accommodation.<\/p>\n

Structurally speaking, the embezzlement and loss of military supplies and food by officers and officials is very serious. They are illegally selling military supplies of gasoline, diesel, food, and equipment to vendors.<\/p>\n

\u201cA recent complaint among officers is the housing problem,\u201d said the investigating partner. When an enlisted soldier becomes an officer or his unit moves, the army is supposed to secure a house for their use. They say it is not uncommon, however, to wait for several years to be provided with one. During this waiting period, they must live in shared accomodation in a room with complete strangers.<\/p>\n

It is only natural that a deterioration in the treatment of officers has resulted in corruption and a loss of morale and military discipline. Forced to risk their lives to protect the government and the \u201cRevolutionary Leader\u201d, Kim Jong-un, the reality for enlisted officers is that life would be far easier as a market vendor. (ISHIMARU Jiro)<\/p>\n

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