Kim Min-hyuk, a former North Korean military officer who defected to South Korea in 2020, has written a scathing critique of Kim Jong-un’s policies, describing them as desperate attempts to isolate North Korea and suppress the growing desire for freedom among its people, particularly young soldiers. Kim, who served in Gangwon Province, highlighted the dire conditions within the North Korean military, including severe food shortages, inadequate clothing, and a crushing lack of hope, exacerbated by Kim Jong-un’s increasingly hostile stance towards the South.
Kim Jong-un’s recent constitutional amendments to enshrine a “Two Hostile States Theory” — which denies any hope of Korean reunification — along with the destruction of inter-Korean cooperation symbols, such as railway lines, and the militarization of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), are part of a broader strategy to entrench his regime’s power. However, according to Kim Min-hyuk, these efforts are futile in the face of growing dissatisfaction, particularly among the “Jangmadang Generation” — young soldiers who grew up during North Korea’s economic crises and have limited loyalty to the regime.
Kim Min-hyuk, who personally endured the hardships of life in the North Korean military, explained that food shortages and malnutrition are rampant among soldiers, with meals often reduced to a few spoonfuls of corn or wheat. Soldiers are forced to wear ragged clothing and even resort to stealing civilian garments to survive. Amid these deprivations, many soldiers are exposed to information from the outside world, including anti-regime leaflets that reveal the luxurious lives of the ruling Kim family, leading to growing resentment and skepticism.
Despite the North Korean government’s efforts to block external broadcasts and clamp down on dissent, Kim Min-hyuk argues that young soldiers are already aware of the truth. He notes that many North Korean soldiers are now influenced by South Korean culture, including K-pop, and are quietly resisting the regime’s oppressive measures. “The Jangmadang Generation will become the mainstay of North Korean society, and no amount of repression will fully control their desire for freedom,” he said.
Kim calls for continued efforts to provide North Korean soldiers with information about the corruption of the regime, the disparity in living conditions between the North and South, and potential escape routes. He believes that, just as East Germans once brought down the Berlin Wall, North Korean soldiers may one day tear down the barriers that Kim Jong-un has constructed.