Politics March 27, 2017
North Korea isn’t a rare topic in America’s news, whether newscasters are reporting on Kim Jong Un or North Korea’s latest nuclear tests. One subject you may not have heard much about, though, is North Korea’s mandatory military service – for men and women.
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Ready to learn more about North Korea’s (often secretive) military practices and policies? Here are four troubling facts about North Korea’s conscription policies.
How many years would you guess mandatory military service lasts? If you’re a North Korean male, expect to dedicate at least 10 years of your life to military service. Men used to be required to serve for 13 years, but North Korea cut it down to 10 in 2003.
Meanwhile, women used to only serve as military volunteers. In 2015, though, North Korea started requiring all women who graduated high school to serve in the military until age 23.
Since women are often breadwinners for their family, this decision wasn’t accepted quietly by North Korea’s public.
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In 2016, conscription regulations also started to get more lax as officials realized there was still a shortage of recruits. In the 1980s, North Korea went through a famine that killed many children, leading to a lack of eligible recruits today. In addition to that, the country’s birth rate is also worrying low.
Before, the only son in a family, the children of collective farmers or the children of mine workers were excused from military service. Now, recent college graduates, factory workers and parents are also being recruited.
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What is it like to be a female member of North Korea’s military? Stories from women serving suggest that gender equality is nowhere to be found.
One female company commander reported trading sexual favors for a position in the Korean Workers Party. Once she joined, however, members kept demanding sexual favors and her reputation eventually “destroyed her family.”
Because the North Korean military lacks supplies (including simple necessities like sanitary napkins), many female soldiers also work as prostitutes during nights to make money.
Perhaps the most harm is done to women assigned to be “storm troopers” in construction brigades. If they deny superior officers’ sexual advances, they are assigned the most difficult tasks.
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Whether male or female, all recruits go through training that one former North Korean soldier claims is mostly “brainwashing.” He explains that 40 percent of training time is spent on military strategy while the other 60 percent is “ideological training.”
This latter teaches soldiers “to obey only Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, and Kim Jong Un … no matter how dangerous.”
The former soldier also shares that many soldiers die from malnutrition because the authorities often leave soldiers to “fend for themselves” in terms of food. Families don’t receive compensation for loved ones killed in action, either.
When asked what the authorities in charge of North Korea’s army should know, the soldier said, “The day will come when the authorities will be forced to respect the rights of the people. Only by respecting human rights will there be a future for us all.”
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Although it’s important to report on North Korea’s nuclear weapons or international threats, it’s clear that North Korea’s military practices also deserve coverage. Many details are not known about North Korea’s military; however, recent testimonies suggest that men and women are losing more than they are gaining through required military service.
What should you take away from these troubling facts? If anything, these should inspire you to treat the service members of your own country with the respect they deserve.
