Another case of a soldier deserting after suffering continuous beatings and harassment from senior soldiers has occurred in North Korea.
According to a South Hwanghae province source who spoke to Daily NK recently, a soldier in his 20s with the surname Kim, in his third year of military service with the 4th Corps Communications Company stationed in Haeju, deserted on March 13. His whereabouts remain unknown.
The reason for the soldier’s desertion is strongly believed to be due to continuous beatings and harassment from senior soldiers.
According to testimony from fellow soldiers, Kim had been harassed by senior soldiers, including his squad leader. The harassment began when Kim, due to financial difficulties, couldn’t fulfill his squad leader’s demand to procure a carton of cigarettes.
Holding a grudge against Kim for failing to provide cigarettes, the squad leader mobilized other senior soldiers to torment Kim and force him to handle various menial tasks including laundry. If Kim showed even the slightest delay, the senior soldiers would not hesitate to beat and assault him.
Having endured this harassment from senior soldiers, Kim took advantage of an external repair mission for broken communication lines on March 13 to desert his unit.
“There’s an atmosphere where newly enlisted soldiers who have completed basic training and are adjusting to their assigned units must endure beatings and harassment for about six months,” the source said. “But we’re not talking about a new recruit here. This is a third-year soldier in his 20s with hot-blooded youth. No one in that position could endure such harsh treatment without considering desertion.”
The source explained that in the North Korean military, both previously and currently, it’s considered normal for junior soldiers to fulfill senior soldiers’ demands for bribes, with the burden ultimately falling on parents. In Kim’s case, knowing his family’s difficult circumstances, he refused to ask his parents for help, which ultimately led to the harassment from his superiors.
“The saying ‘when a child enlists in the military, the parents serve alongside them’ didn’t come about by chance,” the source pointed out. “The reality here is that unless parents provide support from behind the scenes throughout military service, their children will suffer all kinds of hardships in the military.”
Meanwhile, while Kim’s unit still hasn’t determined his whereabouts, there’s reportedly an emergency situation internally as Kim deserted while armed. However, given that senior officers could face disciplinary action if the incident is reported up the chain of command, the company officers are reportedly searching for Kim without reporting the incident to their superiors, attempting to keep it quiet.
“Desertion due to harassment from superiors isn’t a one-time occurrence but keeps happening repeatedly,” the source noted. “It’s urgent to address issues like violence and harassment within the military fundamentally, creating conditions where soldiers can serve with peace of mind.”
March 26, 2025 at 02:56AM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)