Soldiers from North Korea’s 27th Brigade border guard unit are increasingly breaking into civilian homes to steal food along the Chinese frontier in North Hamgyong province, fueling tensions with local residents.
Three soldiers were caught robbing a home in Hoeryong’s Yuson Workers’ District recently, a Daily NK source reported earlier this week. After hearing suspicious noises, neighbors rushed to the scene and found the soldiers ransacking the house and storage shed. The soldiers were severely beaten by the crowd and later hospitalized.
“Home break-ins by soldiers are getting worse,” the source said. “Even with nails on fence tops and multiple locks on sheds, we can’t stop them.”
The spike in thefts stems from severe food shortages in the military units. Border guards “work around the clock – standing watch, gathering firewood, and tending support farms – but get just a pinky-sized portion of corn noodles because their units short-change their rations,” the source explained.
While some soldiers steal on their own out of desperation, others act on direct orders from officers who organize theft teams.
“Survival instinct is one thing, but there’s also pressure from above,” the source added.
Common belief holds that border guard duty ensures full stomachs, but reality proves otherwise.
Local sympathy once extended to these hungry soldiers serving far from home. But as the thefts have escalated and become more indiscriminate, that understanding has evaporated.
“People used to pity them, but now there’s only anger – probably because they’ve caused too much damage,” the source said. “Many say just seeing a soldier now makes their blood boil.”
Standard procedure requires local police to document cases before military security takes over. Yet soldier-thieves rarely face real punishment.
This lack of accountability has pushed residents to dispense their own justice through beatings.
“It’s a release valve for people’s anger at soldiers who’ve made theft their habit,” the source said. “Seeing these thieves get beaten gives folks some satisfaction.”
But this vigilante response carries risks. “Even if soldiers see the beatings as justified self-defense by civilians, people could face assault charges if soldiers can’t perform their duties due to injuries,” the source warned. The recent hospitalization of three soldiers with minor injuries has led locals to suspect the military of deliberately inflating the incident.
February 21, 2025 at 02:15PM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)