Teenager sent home from military service after becoming pregnant

group of women in brown military style uniforms listening to a woman in a cap outdoors near signboards with korean text by a dirt path in a rural area

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A teenage soldier who was 14 months into her mandatory military service has been discharged and sent home after becoming pregnant.

The 18-year-old was serving in a unit under the Army’s 10th Corps when she received a “lifestyle discharge,” a form of administrative release, according to a source in Ryanggang Province.

The soldier, from Anak County in South Hwanghae Province, enlisted in March last year and, after completing basic training, was assigned to a wireless communications company directly under the corps command.

According to the source, the soldier was repeatedly subjected to inappropriate acts allegedly forced upon her by superiors. She reportedly discovered she was pregnant in early March.

She was discharged earlier this month without any formal investigation. The soldier is said to have returned home without explaining how the pregnancy occurred.

Taken together, the circumstances suggest the case may have been handled through a so-called “quiet discharge,” with no official complaint or investigation. Some analysts believe the matter was quietly resolved to prevent it from spreading beyond the military.

Critics also point to the military’s closed structure and rigid hierarchy as factors contributing to the handling of such incidents. In an environment where superiors wield overwhelming authority, lower-ranking soldiers often find it extremely difficult to report abuse or raise concerns.

There is also reportedly a widespread perception that speaking out as a victim can lead to negative evaluations or punishment. As a result, such cases are often minimized as personal matters or resolved behind closed doors.

“Cases of soldiers becoming pregnant are extremely common within the military, but there is effectively no way to prevent them,” the source said. “At the center of these problems are commanders who hold the power to determine the soldiers’ futures.”

“There are many cases in which young female soldiers become pregnant and are quietly sent back home carrying the disgrace of a ‘lifestyle discharge,’ unable even to speak out about what happened,” the source said. “This case is just one example that clearly illustrates the reality of women’s rights conditions within our military.”

“Everyone is taught from a young age to obey Party instructions unconditionally, regardless of the situation. They are never educated on how to respond when they experience injustice,” the source said. “Because of this kind of educational environment, young women often suffer abuse but are unable to properly raise objections.”

North Korea’s 10th Corps is an infantry mountain warfare unit established in September 2010 through the reorganization of the former 4th District Command under the old 9th Corps. It is headquartered in Chundong, Hyesan, Ryanggang Province. The corps is reportedly composed of the active-duty 43rd Brigade, two training divisions — the 267th and 268th — and around 10 training regiments.

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Han Eun-su

Han was born in 1989 in Taehongdan county, Ryanggang province, North Korea. She graduated from Hyesan Teacher's College in 2012, after which she worked as an elementary school teacher. She defected to South Korea in 2016 and works as a reporter at NK Times in Seoul.