The North Korean army’s General Political Bureau (GPB) recently ordered political departments in each military unit to organize mass culture and recreation activities coinciding with the army’s summer exercises.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a source in the North Korean military told Daily NK on July 8 that the GPB issued the orders on July 1, at the start of the summer exercises. The directive aims to set a positive mood, improve troops’ mental health, and boost morale, which often sags during muggy summer weather.
Following GPB orders, the III Corps’ political department instructed each unit to hold a contest testing soldiers’ political and military knowledge during the first week of the summer exercise. The quiz was meant to be both enjoyable and educational for the soldiers, the source said.
The contest quizzed soldiers on topics such as revolutionary history, songs, documentaries, military knowledge, and combat missions and strategies. Companies and battalions competed in teams, answering multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions based on photographs and videos.
Soldiers might, for example, be played a measure of a revolutionary song or a short documentary scene and asked to guess the title. They reportedly enjoyed the quiz, participating eagerly and showing competitive spirit.
The III Corps’ political department also planned a military tactics video game developed by its IT research team. The game presents realistic scenarios where players complete missions like infiltrating enemy bases, recovering targets, and conducting defensive operations. Rich audiovisual effects kept soldiers engaged without signs of fatigue, the source said.
“The mass culture and recreation period occurs at least twice weekly on each unit’s sports field and in the indoor recreation room. Soldiers always look forward to it because the activities are fun,” the source said.
“The III Corps’ political department views these activities positively, believing they’ve improved soldiers’ teamwork and created an upbeat mood. Last year, soldiers looked exhausted during the hot, muggy summer exercises, but this year is quite different,” the source added.
The GPB reportedly receives weekly reports from each army corps’ political department on the results of these activities and is assessing ground-level responses. The GPB plans to facilitate experience-sharing opportunities and select the best activities for military-wide implementation.
Daily NK works with a network of sources living in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. Their identities remain anonymous for security reasons.
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July 16, 2024 at 02:00PM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)