2021.04.09
(Photo) A thin neck and a saggy military uniform.“I’m on my way back to my hometown because of the malnutrition,” said the 30-year-old petty officer. He was a member of a construction unit.Photographed in the northern region in August 2013 (ASIAPRESS).
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Parents will be punished if their children refuse to enlist.
The Kim Jong-un regime has decided to cut the length of military service to eight years for men and five years for women this spring, and to place discharged soldiers inagriculture, mining, and other fields where production has been affected by labour shortages seriously. On the other hand, the call-up (recruitment) of those graduating from high-level middle schools (equivalent to high schools) was carried out as in previous years.This article will report on the current status of recruiting in North Korea. (
<Inside N. Korea> Big reduction in the number of soldiers (Part 2): Forced deployment of discharged military personnel to rural areas and coal mines leads to greater dissatisfaction
2021.04.05
Am I supposed to work with a pickaxe for the rest of my life?
The Kim Jong-un regime has decided to drastically reduce the number of its military soldiers after the 8
th Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea held in January. The period of military service has been shortened from 13 years to 8 years for men and from 8 years to 5 years for women, and soldiers who have completed their military service have started to be discharged. We can assume that this is part of the economic policy of reallocating the labour force to the fields where the labour shortage is serious. However, dissatisfaction is erupting among the discharged soldiers. Our reporting partner living in the northern region investigated the real situation. (
<Inside N. Korea>Big reduction in the number of soldiers (Part 1): Men s military service drastically reduced from 13 years to 8 years. What are Kim Jong-un s intentions?
2021.04.02
(Photo) Young soldiers bathe and wash clothes along the Yalu River. Everyone is skinny. Photographed from the Chinese side of Sakju County, North Pyongan Province in July 2017 by Jiro Ishimaru.
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Promote deployment to understaffed rural coal mines
According to a research conducted by our reporting partners living in the northern region, the length of service (military service) in the Korean People s Army has been reduced from 13 years to 8 years for men and from 8 years to 5 years for women. The decision was made after the 8