A debate forum on the outcome of a latest survey on North Korean solders’ human rights takes place at the civic Center for Military Human Rights Korea in Seoul on March 30, 2021. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, March 31 (Korea Bizwire) — North Korean soldiers are failing to receive even a modicum of human rights protection, as advised by the international community, during incarceration.
The Center for Military Human Rights Korea, a civic group, held a conference in Seoul on Tuesday to discuss the results of an investigation into human rights abuses faced by North Korean soldiers.
The investigation was based on a series of extensive interviews with 30 North Korean escapees who entered South Korea between July 2019 and June 2020 and had experience working for the North Korean military.
The investigation also studied literature on human rights in the North Korean military.
Among 30 interviewees, eight said during the interview that they had witnessed public executions.
Accidental deaths were commonplace in the North Korean military, as 27 respondents (90 percent) said they had either witnessed these accidents or heard about them in their unit.
Many of the deaths involved accidents that occurred during construction or logging (16 cases), followed by car accidents and drowning (11 cases).
In eight cases, people were killed during military drills or due to physical violence. Another six cases of death involved shootings, followed by three cases of malnutrition.
North Korean men have to serve in the military for 10 years, while women can volunteer to serve for a minimum of seven years. Among respondents, only one of them received annual leave during their military service.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
