{"id":4877,"date":"2021-03-16T12:34:43","date_gmt":"2021-03-16T03:34:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/?p=4877"},"modified":"2022-05-16T17:14:32","modified_gmt":"2022-05-16T08:14:32","slug":"hunger-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/2021\/03\/military\/hunger-2\/","title":{"rendered":"COVID-19 and the Military (Part 2): \u201c1 Thermometer Per Company\u201d...Soldiers and Families Struggle to Cope with Harsh Military Quarantine Measures"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A thin young man, a military officer, buying goods at a market. Photographed in Hyesan City, Ryanggang Province, in August, 2013 (ASIAPRESS)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u25c6Burning mugwort to sterilize, soldiers placed in quarantine with just a cough<\/h2>\n

As soldiers live together for long periods of time, the military environment is highly conducive to the spread of coronavirus. Since last February, the Kim Jong-un regime has strictly controlled the military\u2019s contact with the general public by forbidding soldiers to leave their units. It has been more than a year since the strict coronavirus countermeasures began. So what are the North Korean authorities' military coronavirus measures now? To find out, our reporting partner contacted military officials. (Kang Ji-won<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Related Article<\/strong><\/i><\/span> COVID-19 and the Military (1) Why is the Korean People's Army starving too?\u3000 Soldiers shoot and eat \"stray livestock\" due to hunger.<\/a><\/p>\n

According to our reporting partner living in North Hamgyong Province, who met with military personnel, the measures to separate soldiers from the general public are still strictly enforced. The reporting partner explained the following:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe soldiers are still not allowed to leave their units at all and are rarely seen on the streets. Military officers with families are also banned from all places except their units and homes, and the barracks and officers\u2019 house entrances are equipped with barricades to strictly check the approach of outsiders and the departure of family members.<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is strict supervision to prevent soldiers from sneaking out of the unit too. There are roll calls at midnight, and soldiers are checked at three-hour intervals (0:00, 3:00, and 6:00) to see if anyone has deserted or gone out without permission. If a soldier sneaks out of the unit, the entire company or platoon is forcibly quarantined.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The delivery of food supplies, which used to be done by soldiers, is now done by mobilizing \u2018military laborers,\u2019 civilians who perform miscellaneous tasks for the military units. The \u2018military laborers\u2019 are made to work before the soldiers' waking hours in order to minimize direct contact with the soldiers.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Also, to keep the soldiers from leaving the barracks as much as possible, this year they will not allow soldiers to collect firewood for boiling or to do farmwork in their fields.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The text of the warning reads, \"Any targets and livestock that enter our riverbanks of the Yalu and Tumen Rivers will be shot on sight.\u201d Photographed at the end of August 2020. (ASIAPRESS)<\/p><\/div>\n

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\u25c6Even officers' families are restricted from leaving home<\/h2>\n

The officers\u2019 families are also strictly prohibited from contacting the general public.<\/p>\n

According to the reporting partner, officers\u2019 wives are not even allowed to go to the market. The wives are bundled into groups called 'family platoons' to be overseen, and two or three people selected from the 'family platoons' are sent to the market once a week to do the necessary shopping.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, even though more than a year has passed since the strict coronavirus countermeasures were started, the material and equipment for sanitation and quarantining still seems to be in poor supply in the military units in North Hamgyong Province. A military official who provided information to our reporting partner, explained the following:<\/p>\n