North Korean military crisis: Surge in desertions prompts crackdowns

The North Korean army is facing a wave of desertions. The scale of the problem is most evident from the decision to increase the number of military police patrols. An inspection has been initiated in a key unit.

The Daily NK portal reports that the Third Corps of the North Korean Army recorded a sharp increase in the number of deserters in the first half of this year. The severity of the problem in Kim Jong Un's most important unit prompted the authorities to initiate an extraordinary inspection there.

Among the deserters, the most numerous group consists of soldiers who have been in the army for less than two years. According to reports from the North Korean army, the reason for the desertions is violence by older soldiers against younger recruits. In the unit where the inspection is being conducted, there were allegedly severe beatings of soldiers.

The first decisions have already been made. Soldiers with less than two years of service will not receive independent tasks and will not be granted individual leave.

It was also decided to create 10 additional military police patrols, each with three soldiers—one officer and two privates. Their task is to catch deserters and return them to the barracks.

The North Korean army ranks fourth in terms of numbers, with 1.2 million soldiers. Only the armed forces of China, India, the United States, and Russia have more military personnel.

Kim Jong Un's army has 4,000 tanks, 2,500 combat vehicles, and 1,700 aircraft. These numbers would likely make a much greater impression if 90% of the equipment wasn't from the Cold War era. This significantly lowers the combat value of North Korean units.

In the Global Firepower rankings, North Korea's armed forces rank 36th. For comparison, the southern neighbor of the regime ranks 5th in the mentioned ranking. Our country ranks 21st in the list.