North Korea’s 91st Capital Defense Corps, known as Training Camp 91, is facing fresh scrutiny after a defense ministry inspection found widespread failures to secure classified documents and communication equipment, compounding earlier findings that the unit’s commanders had misused funds.
“Training Camp 91 got in trouble when it was caught up in a storm-like inspection, which revealed that it had been lazy with managing and protecting military secrets,” a source in South Pyongan province who requested anonymity for security reasons told Daily NK recently. “The defense ministry slammed the unit when it found holes in their security, with the unit failing to systematically manage military secrets and even the commanders displaying a lax security consciousness.”
Inspectors found numerous instances in which Training Camp 91 left level 2 and level 3 classified documents on desks in plain view rather than locked in safes with double locks. They also found that some commanders had left access codes for communication equipment on their monitors or desks when they left work, in direct violation of standing security orders.
Inspectors further discovered that commanders had begun storing lecture and study materials from superiors carelessly, despite long-standing regulations requiring secure storage of such materials.
“Having received reports of the issues found in the inspection, the defense ministry could not hide its disappointment that things were still this bad, despite repeated warnings about security at every meeting,” the source said. The authorities had previously taken immediate action whenever problems emerged, elevating violations into political and ideological matters and punishing those responsible.
Defense ministry warns of punishment up the chain of command
What angered the defense ministry most was that nobody at Training Camp 91 appeared to recognize a problem existed, despite the continuous, everyday nature of the failures.
“The latest incident directly demonstrates how lax the military has become,” the source said. “The defense ministry noted that stronger measures are needed.”
The ministry strongly emphasized that strict adherence to military secrecy and security protocols was a basic military necessity, warning that forces lacking this discipline suffer complete defeat on the battlefield. It warned that not even high-ranking generals would escape punishment if found responsible, and ordered that inspections of Training Camp 91 would continue until secrecy and security adherence were deemed perfect.
Training Camp 91 is a key unit in the defense of Pyongyang, responsible for guarding the capital and protecting the nation’s leadership. Given the strategic nature of its role, authorities regard the lax discipline uncovered during the inspection as more than simple workplace negligence — viewing it instead as a serious security gap. The fallout from the inspection is unlikely to dissipate soon.
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