Conscription in North Korea

Last updated

.mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{} Countries with ongoing conscription Conscription map of the world.svg
  Countries with ongoing conscription

Conscription in North Korea occurs despite ambiguity concerning its legal status. Men are universally conscripted while women undergo selective conscription. Conscription takes place at age 17 and service ends at 30. Children of the political elites are exempt from conscription, as are people with bad songbun (ascribed social status in North Korea). Recruitment is done on the basis of annual targets drawn up by the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea and implemented locally by schools. Conscription first began before the Korean War.

Contents

Background

North Korea is considered the world's most militarized society. [1] As many as one in three North Koreans may be a member of one of the many military organizations at any given time. [2]

History

Conscription in North Korea began before the Korean War. The draft helped to rapidly grow the size of the Korean People's Army (KPA) before the war broke out in 1950. [3]

In 1993, conscription was extended from eight to ten years. [4]

In 1958, North Korea adopted Cabinet Decision number 148 to define service of conscripts as three and a half years in the army and four years in the navy. In 1993, service was expanded to ten years on the orders of Kim Jong Il. [5] In 1996, conscription was further extended and conscripts will now have to serve until they are aged 30. [4] According to some sources, [6] conscription was codified in a law adopted by the 10th Supreme People's Assembly in 2003. [5]

In 2003, North Korea claimed to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child that all military enlistment in the country is on a voluntary basis. [6]

Annual target quotas for conscription are set by the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea and, before the Constitution was amended in 2016, the National Defence Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. These orders are then implemented by local officials on the provincial, municipal, and county levels. The county level delegates the task of levying recruits to local schools. [7]

Although the legal status of conscription in North Korea is not entirely clear, the country de facto maintains a system of conscription. [6]

In practice

Drafting

All men over the age of 17 effectively have to enlist. They have to partake in constant enlistment rallies during which it is nearly impossible to refuse service. [6]

Young men are enthusiastic about enlisting because it protects them from the stigma attached to those who do not join the military. Some positive incentives still exist, as military training invariably increases the draftee's chances of employment after service. [1]

There are obligations for conscripts not only during, but also before and after service. Registering for draft takes place at age 14, [4] and two rounds of physical examination are conducted at age 15 or 16. [4] [5] The physical examination ensures that draftees meet the requirement of being at least 148 cm tall and weighing 43 kg, although exceptions are made. [5]

Drafting usually takes place at age 17 after graduating from senior middle school. Economic, political, and health concerns are weighed when draft is decided on. Postponing military service is possible for some if they continue education in high school or college. [4]

Skilled workers, technicians, members of some government organizations, [4] and children of political and military notables are often excluded from conscription. [7] [8] Some 30 percent of male middle school students, usually sons of the elite, are exempt from the draft to progress directly through high school to college or university. For instance, Kim Jong Il never went through the compulsory military service. [8] In addition to the privileged, those considered politically unloyal (those with particularly bad songbun ) are also exempt from service. [9]

Upon conscription, servicemen are assigned to a branch, specialization, and a duty unit. [7]

In service

Each conscript begins their service with basic training that lasts for about two months in the army, and up to three months in the air force and navy. Training methods emphasize memorization and repetition, but also psychological, occupational and technical skills. Drills often take place during nighttime, and repetitiveness is in part due to the low-tech nature of the force, but also to bring performance up to a standard. The training methods are effective, and produce a fighting force that is, according to James Minnich, "well versed in the basics even under adverse conditions". NCO candidates are chosen based on military merits. [7] Because the overwhelming majority of officers have worked their way up the ranks, the result is an egalitarian corps whose officers are familiar with the concerns of ordinary recruits. [10] Conditions are harsh, [7] and training typically lasts from 5:00 AM to 10:00 PM. [11]

Servicemen are expected to grow food to supplement their otherwise meager rations between 700 and 850 grams. [12] Other activities not directly related to training are also imposed on them. [11] Leaves are limited. A conscript may, in rare cases, be granted a two-week leave once or twice during his entire service. Service personnel are not allowed to marry, so conscripts typically stay single until they turn 30, in order that they would finish their Worker's Party admission process. [7] About five percent of draftees, on the military's insistence, proceed to college or university after a year-long preparatory course. This route to higher education is considered easier than continuing studies right after middle school. [8]

Men

Conscription for men is universal [4] , men are serving up to 10 years in the combat forces and 13 years in the specialized combat forces (like the missile forces). [13]

Women

Women are serving only up to 7 years in all forces; CIA estimates that women comprise about 20% of the military. [13] They are selectively conscripted at a ratio where for every one female there are nine male conscripts. Women serve in all three service branches of the KPA: its Ground Force, Navy, and Air Force. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conscription</span> Compulsory enlistment into national or military service

Conscription is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day under various names. The modern system of near-universal national conscription for young men dates to the French Revolution in the 1790s, where it became the basis of a very large and powerful military. Most European nations later copied the system in peacetime, so that men at a certain age would serve 1 to 8 years on active duty and then transfer to the reserve force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National service</span> System of military or government service

National service is the system of compulsory or voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term national service comes from the United Kingdom's National Service Act 1939.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military service</span> Performing the service in the armed forces of a state

Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conscription in the United States</span> History of mandatory military service in the United States

In the United States, military conscription, commonly known as the draft, has been employed by the U.S. federal government in six conflicts: the American Revolutionary War, the American Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The fourth incarnation of the draft came into being in 1940, through the Selective Training and Service Act; this was the country's first peacetime draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conscription in Germany</span> Overview of conscription in Germany

The Federal Republic of Germany had conscription for male citizens between 1956 and 2011. On 22 November 2010, the German Minister of Defence proposed to the government to put conscription into abeyance on 1 July 2011. The constitution, however, retains provisions that would legalize the potential reintroduction of conscription.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conscription in Greece</span> Overview of conscription in Greece

Since 1914, Greece has had mandatory military service (conscription) of 12 months in the Army, Navy and the Air Force for men between the age of 19 to 45. Citizens discharged from active service are normally placed in the Reserve and are subject to periodic recall of 1–10 days at irregular intervals.

The comparative military ranks of Korea are the military insignia used by the two nations on the Korean Peninsula, those being the Republic of Korea Armed Forces and the Korean People's Army of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The United States Forces Korea personnel wear the ranks and insignia used by other service personnel of the United States Armed Forces in the territories of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conscription in Taiwan</span> Overview of conscription in Taiwan

Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), maintains an active conscription system in accordance with the regulations set by the government of the Republic of China. All qualified male citizens of military age in the country are obligated to perform 1 year on active duty military service or receive 4 months of military training.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military reserve force</span> Military organization composed of citizens

A military reserve force is a military organization whose members (reservists) have military and civilian occupations. They are not normally kept under arms, and their main role is to be available when their military requires additional manpower. Reserve forces are generally considered part of a permanent standing body of armed forces, and allow a nation to reduce its peacetime military expenditures and maintain a force prepared for war. During peacetime, reservists typically serve part-time alongside a civilian job, although most reserve forces have a significant permanent full-time component as well. Reservists may be deployed for weeks or months-long missions during peacetime to support specific operations. During wartime, reservists may be kept in service for months or years at a time, although typically not for as long as active duty soldiers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conscription in the Netherlands</span> Overview of conscription in the Netherlands

Conscription in the Netherlands was first employed in 1810 by French occupying forces. Napoleon's brother Louis Bonaparte, who was King of Holland from 1806 to 1810, had tried to introduce conscription a few years earlier, unsuccessfully. Every man aged 20 years or older had to enlist. By means of drawing lots it was decided who had to undertake service in the French army. It was possible to arrange a substitute against payment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conscription in Israel</span> Overview of conscription in the State of Israel

Since the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948, fixed-term military service has been compulsory in Israel. The draft laws of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) only apply to Jews, Druze, and Circassians. Because the Druze and Circassian communities are less populous, their women are exempted from mandatory military service altogether. Women from the Jewish community are not exempted, but serve for slightly shorter terms than their male counterparts. The IDF does not conscript non-Druze Arab citizens of Israel, though their men and women may enlist voluntarily.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conscription in Russia</span> Overview of conscription in Russia

Conscription in Russia is a 12-month draft, which is mandatory for all male citizens who are between 18 and 30 years old, with a number of exceptions. Avoiding the draft is a felony under Russian criminal code and is punishable by up to 18 months of imprisonment. Conscripts are generally prohibited from being deployed abroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conscription in the United Kingdom</span> 20th century systems for compulsory military service in the United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, military conscription has existed for two periods in modern times. The first was from 1916 to 1920, and the second from 1939 to 1960. The last conscripted soldiers left the service in 1963.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Army Recruiting Command</span> U.S. Armys primary source of recruitment

The United States Army Recruiting Command is responsible for manning both the United States Army and the Army Reserve. Recruiting operations are conducted throughout the United States, U.S. territories, and at U.S. military facilities in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. This process includes the recruiting, medical and psychological examination, induction, and administrative processing of potential service personnel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conscription in South Korea</span> Compulsory military service in South Korea

Conscription in South Korea has existed since 1957 and requires male citizens between the ages of 18 and 35 to perform compulsory military service. Women are not required to perform military service, but they may voluntarily join the military.

The General Political Bureau (GPB) is a department of the Ministry of Defence, used by the leadership of the North Korean government to exert political control over the Korean People's Army (KPA). The GPB operates under the direction of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea. The GPB controls units of the KPA on all levels down to company level. It primarily exerts control through propaganda, education, and cultural activities. Under directions of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, it also controls troop movements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conscription in China</span>

China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) began as an all-volunteer force. In 1955, as part of an effort to modernize the PLA, the first Military Service Law created a system of compulsory military service. Since the late 1970s, the PLA has been a hybrid force that combines conscripts and volunteers. Conscripts who fulfilled their service obligation can stay in the military as volunteer soldiers for a total of 16 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conscription in the Soviet Union</span> Overview of conscription in the Soviet Union

Conscription was used by the Soviet Union for the duration of its existence to bolster military function and operations. Conscription was introduced into what would become the Soviet Union in 1918, almost immediately after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 to strengthen the forces of the Red Army. Following its introduction, conscription remained a constant presence in the Soviet state until its dissolution in 1991. Various policy amendments changed the volume of conscription intakes and the required length of service, with key changes to policy occurring in 1918, 1938 and 1967. Wartime conscription, specifically during World War II, saw a significant increase in conscription intake as well as a broadening of the pool of candidates available to be conscripted. Unlike in countries without a consistent history of conscription, there was relatively little resistance to conscription policy, as the concept was enshrined in the Soviet constitution as a mandatory requirement of citizenship, regardless of identity or status, and was seen as the national duty of all Soviet military-aged men.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conscription in Cuba</span> Overview of conscription in Cuba

Conscription is inscribed in the 1976 Constitution of the Republic of Cuba in article 65, stating that "Defense of the socialist homeland is the greatest honor and the supreme duty of every Cuban citizen." There is a military presence through all levels of education in Cuba, however the recruiting process begins in secondary school as nationals, both male and female, are able to enlist in the army from the age of 17.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fishing industry in North Korea</span>

The fishing industry in North Korea provides an important supplement to the diet and for export. The catch in 2001 totaled 200,000 tons of wild-caught seafood and 63,700 tons produced using aquaculture. The major fishing grounds are in the coastal areas of the Sea of Japan to the east and the Yellow Sea to the west. The main fishery ports are Sinpo, Kimchaek, and the nearby deep-sea fishery bases of Yanghwa and Hongwfin. The principal catch from the Sea of Japan is pollock.

References

  1. 1 2 Hunter 2008, p. 102.
  2. ↑ Oh, Kongdan; Hassig, Ralph C. (2004). North Korea through the Looking Glass. Washington: Brookings Institution Press. p. 231. ISBN   978-0-8157-9820-0.
  3. ↑ Minnich 2008, p. 238.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Minnich 2008, p. 264.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Understanding North Korea: Totalitarian dictatorship, Highly centralized economies, Grand Socialist Family. Institute for Unification Education, Ministry of Unification. 30 January 2015. p. 173. GGKEY Q35FXTAE44S.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Smith, Hazel (2015). North Korea: Markets and Military Rule. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 226. ISBN   978-0-521-89778-5.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Minnich 2008, p. 265.
  8. 1 2 3 Hunter 2008, p. 122.
  9. ↑ Hunter 2008, p. 103.
  10. ↑ Tertitskiy, Fyodor (6 June 2016). "The good things in North Korea". NK News . Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  11. 1 2 Minnich 2008, p. 267.
  12. ↑ Minnich 2008, pp. 265, 267.
  13. 1 2 CIA World Factbook

Works cited

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.