Changing preferences for military service, Strategic Force Command is the most popular
Young men leaving to enlist in the military (Image | Yonhap)
With authorities intensively conducting its spring draft through the first ten days of March, it emerges that the most preferred units for young people this year are the Korean People’s Army Strategic Force (missile units), electronic warfare units, mechanized infantry, and the naval submarine fleet.
The preference this year contrasts with the popularity of border guard and coastal defense units, and the Ministry of Armed Forces’ rear command before the COVID-19 pandemic. These units have recently fallen out of favor.
It is evident in this selection that youngsters continue to prioritize working conditions over any sense of mission to defend the motherland, sources say.
Military service in North Korea is defined as a “supreme duty and honor for citizens.” In practice, it is not exactly mandatory. Rather, it operates under a rigorous selection system.
According to defectors, the first step is to be eligible. This eligibility is determined by a thorough investigation into the applicant’s family and relatives, political reliability, physical condition, and several other strict criteria.
Children of defectors, political prisoners, or those with family members involved in major crimes are excluded. If a soldier’s family becomes involved in a serious crime during his military service, he is forced to retire.
Graduates from high schools face a choice of entering university, joining the military, or entering society. Even after university graduation, many still join the military in order to get on in life.
Notably, there is a steady increase in those who were excluded due to physical conditions but who voluntarily attempt to enlist. The explanation is that military service is a vital step, along with Workers’ Party membership and a university degree, for ambitious people to rise to the top.
The shift in military unit preferences has been greatly influenced by Kim Jong-un’s policy direction. Border guard units and coastal defense units were once popular due to the potential for additional income through smuggling and defection. However, these benefits sharply declined with the border closure during the pandemic and the total ban on smuggling, as well as a steep decline in welfare benefits.
In contrast, the Strategic Force Command, with its key role in handling nuclear weapons and missiles, has received Kim Jong-un’s special attention and substantial investment, drastically improving working conditions.
Advanced technological units, such as the electronic warfare units and naval submarine fleet, have also emerged as popular choices.
Families of new recruits are reportedly mobilizing all their connections—family, relatives, and networks—to ensure their children are assigned to these prestigious units.
These units offer better working conditions, welfare benefits, prospects for social advancement, and the stability provided by technical expertise. This indicates that, despite the continued emphasis on military service as an expression of unending loyalty to the Party, Supreme Leader, the country and the people, shows how the mindset of the younger generation has dramatically changed.
For ten years, Seiul served in the North Korean People's Army (KPA), including the 9th Corps. After completing his military service, he taught mathematics at Cheongjin Mining and Metallurgy University. In 2008, he defected to South Korea, where he founded the National Association of North Korean Defectors, an NGO that aims to promote democratization in North Korea and improve human rights. He majored in computer technology at Pyongyang University of Automation, a top state institution known for cyber training and producing hackers for the KPA.
Latest posts by Jang Seiul (see all)