An official from North Hamgyong province’s military mobilization department was dismissed after making inappropriate comments while intoxicated regarding forced conscription that had been carried out under orders from North Korean military authorities.
A source in North Hamgyong province told Daily NK recently that “an official from the provincial military mobilization department, who had received orders to recruit 500 volunteers for frontline border posts in a short period of time, was dismissed on March 13 after remarking that he ‘nearly died trying to meet the quota set by superiors, even conscripting those who failed the physical examination.’”
The province’s military mobilization department struggles each year to meet conscription quotas and often passes individuals who should fail their physical examinations. This year, they faced particular difficulty as they had to immediately deploy 500 people who “volunteered” for frontline service.
Typically, when high school graduates undergo physical examinations, very few meet the standards for military service, with the majority being deemed ineligible. This leaves the provincial military mobilization department constantly struggling to find enough recruits to meet their quotas.
As a result, the department ends up conscripting even those who fail their physical examinations. This year in particular, with higher quotas than usual and pressure from superiors, they apparently treated almost everyone as eligible.
In fact, officials from the provincial military mobilization department worked tirelessly to conscript high school graduates who fell within the recruitment criteria and successfully handed them over to the military.
However, problems arose when one official, while drinking, made comments about how difficult recruitment was this year, admitting they had indiscriminately resorted to forced conscription of graduates who failed to meet military standards—including those with poor eyesight, tuberculosis, and hepatitis.
The source said, “When this issue was raised, superiors began investigating the official, which revealed he had personally accepted dollars as bribes and received alcohol from residents.” The source added, “This was viewed especially seriously as damaging the dignity and honor of the Korean People’s Army enrollment process with money, leading to his dismissal decision on March 13.”
However, the source clarified, “The primary reason for his dismissal wasn’t this, but rather his unauthorized disclosure of recruitment information and stoking residents’ fears that their children might be sent to war zones (Russia-Ukraine), as many soldiers have already been deployed to these conflict areas.”
The disciplined official avoided expulsion from the Workers’ Party because authorities considered his diligence in trying to meet recruitment quotas by running around tirelessly.
Meanwhile, after this incident, the provincial military mobilization department called in other officials who were close to the dismissed official, warning them to “keep their mouths shut and stay quiet.”
March 24, 2025 at 06:00AM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)