North Korea drafts unfit soldiers amid conscription scandal

An official from the military mobilization department in North Hamgyong Province was dismissed after revealing details of compulsory military conscription while intoxicated. According to "Daily North Korea," the official was tasked with recruiting 500 volunteers for border posts. He claimed that he nearly lost his life trying to determine who should be enlisted in the army. After consuming alcohol, he admitted to accepting individuals with health issues.

Military authorities in North Hamgyong Province face challenges meeting recruitment quotas every year, often accepting individuals who have not passed medical examinations. This year was particularly challenging because North Korean troops are participating in the war in Ukraine. Around 11,000 soldiers were reportedly sent to assist Russia.

As a result, even individuals with health problems were enlisted in the army. The North Korean official revealed that people who did not meet health standards were accepted, including those with vision impairments or diseases like tuberculosis and hepatitis.

After this information was disclosed, superiors launched an investigation, discovering that the official had accepted bribes and alcohol from residents. He was dismissed on March 13. Other department employees with close ties to the dismissed man were warned to "keep their mouths shut."

— 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, as many soldiers have already been deployed to these conflict areas, — an anonymous official from "Daily North Korea" was quoted as saying.