As North Korea prepares for April military registration, a crisis is unfolding. High school senior boys traditionally enlist after graduation (unless continuing education), but news of deployments to Russia has sparked widespread draft evasion. Parents are hiding sons in other regions or bribing officials for fake medical exemptions, causing chaos in schools and military recruitment offices. (By ISHIMARU Jiro / KANG Ji-won)
◆Russian Deployment No Longer Secret
Though North Korean authorities haven't officially acknowledged sending troops to Russia, the information became public after South Korean and Ukrainian officials revealed it last October. Since then, numerous photos, videos, and personal items of North Korean soldiers on the battlefield have been reported. Footage of captured soldiers being interrogated and interviewed has also emerged. Meanwhile, information about the deployment of troops began to spread within North Korea, according to Asia Press's reporting partner.
"Everyone knows our military is being sent to Russia now, even if we don't know how many casualties there are," reported a source from Hyesan in late February. As previously reported by ASIAPRESS, concerned parents of enlisted sons have been key sources of information about these deployments.
◆Bribing for Fake Medical Certificates
As April registration approaches, graduating high school students and their parents are increasingly anxious, with blatant draft dodging forcing authorities to scramble. The source explains:
"Schools and Military Mobilization Departments are in emergency mode. Many parents want to delay enlistment by at least 1-2 years. Wealthy families are bribing major hospitals to issue diagnoses for infectious hepatitis or tuberculosis to submit to the Military Mobilization Department. I know a child nearby who was exempted this way. Children from poorer families have no choice but to hide."
◆Parents Severely Punished for Sons' Evasion
Many graduating students are fleeing their residences to avoid military service:
"Students are increasingly failing to appear for physical examinations or interviews. I heard seven students from a nearby school disappeared. Parents are not only dragged to the Military Mobilization Department and ordered to bring their sons back, but also face public criticism at work, expulsion from the Workers' Party, removal from positions, and other severe punishments. Road checkpoints have been strengthened to catch fleeing students, and special 'lodging inspections' are being conducted."
◆Authorities in Crisis Mode, Even Canceling Enlistment Events
On February 27, the Korean Central News Agency reported that 300 graduating high school students in Pyongyang had petitioned to be stationed at the frontline border. This annual event is designed to portray young people volunteering out of patriotism. Similar ceremonies were planned in Hyesan City in late February.
"Wiyeon High School had reported to the Ryanggang Provincial Youth League that they would hold a group petition ceremony with all graduates, but it was quietly canceled after many students fled. The government is struggling with recruitment and I heard they're adding a recruitment period in May to the usual April and July cycles."
The South Korean government estimates about 12,000 North Korean soldiers have been deployed to Russia, with 3,000 casualties including 300 deaths. If news of casualties continues to spread, draft evasion will likely increase further. It's only natural for parents to worry about their sons.
While military service terms in North Korea vary by branch, last year men served 8 years under the mandatory system and women served 5 years voluntarily. Reports suggest service terms may be extended this year due to the Ukraine deployment, but ASIAPRESS could not confirm this information.
※ ASIAPRESS communicates with its reporting partners through Chinese cell phones smuggled into North Korea.
