The Rodong Sinmun reported on Feb. 26, 2025, that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had carried out “on-the-spot guidance” at the Kang Kon Military Academy, which trains junior commanders, on Feb. 25. Kim said during an address that “military education should focus on practical matters” and that “students need to learn from actual experience on modern battlefields in the North Korean way.” (Rodong Sinmun, News 1)A North Korean soldier with the Eighth General Bureau, which is thought to be responsible for construction projects, was fatally beaten by his superiors in early October after failing to complete “assignments” to source fuel and supplies, triggering a joint investigation by the military’s state security bureau and public prosecutors.
A source in North Pyongan province told Daily NK recently that the death of the soldier, whose unit was based in the province, had sent shockwaves through the general bureau.
The deceased soldier had been regarded as one of the most hard-working men in his unit. But after he failed to complete “assignments” and do personal favors for his superiors during preparations for the winter exercises in the Korean People’s Army, which begins in December, he was subjected to continuing beatings that ultimately led to his death.
According to the source, several soldiers in the unit had been ordered to source food and other supplies before the winter exercises. Soldiers who failed to meet their quotas became targets for beatings by their superiors.
Left to die in break room without medical attention
The deceased soldier had also been ordered by his superiors to collect fuel from external sources and was repeatedly beaten for not bringing back enough. The beatings continued until he lost consciousness, at which point he was deposited by his fellow soldiers in a break room and left there, without receiving any medical attention, until he died.
“The family of the deceased soldier were notified that he had died of an ‘acute medical condition during service’ without being told what had actually happened. There was an attempt in the unit to block news from getting out, but the incident was eventually reported up the chain. Since the incident involved both economic hardship and corruption in the military, it came to the attention of the Central Committee, which dispatched a joint team of prosecutors and state security officers in mid-October,” the source said.
Investigators sent to the unit learned that soldiers who failed to carry out assignments or other requests for their superiors could expect to be beaten and that the beatings were particularly common in the months of October and November, during the preparations for the winter exercises.
The investigation also found that soldiers struggle to get by without bribes and that soldiers from well-off families are not punished even when they strike others.
Witnesses to the fatal beating told investigators that “those who blow the whistle are stigmatized as snitches and face even worse consequences” and that “soldiers are more afraid of their superiors’ opinions than of the death of a comrade.”
“This incident makes clear how the military is permeated by bribery and a culture of violence. It was taken seriously because it occurred while the entire military is redoubling ideological training before the Ninth Party Congress,” the source said.
“The team of investigators informed the unit in question that breakdowns of military discipline would not be tolerated and entreated it to take steps to prevent the recurrence of such behavior. In response to this incident, the Central Committee instructed each unit to reestablish military discipline and rectify military customs. It also emphasized the need to avoid any unsavory incidents inside the military to prevent the glory of the Ninth Party Congress from being tarnished,” the source explained.
But service members are doubtful about the chances of eliminating bribes and violence from the military.
“Soldiers still say that bribes and violence are routine affairs in the military. Many confess to being more worried about money than training and more scared of beatings than malnutrition. Some soldiers even joke that the winter exercises are a time for training one’s patience rather than one’s body,” the source said.
No information is available about what will happen to the individuals responsible for the fatal beating or their commanding officers.