A widowed mother in Tanchon, South Hamgyong province, has begged her son’s school to keep him off North Korea’s 2026 conscription rolls. The teenager, however, is refusing his military service exemption and insists on joining the Korean People’s Army.
The senior high school student could legally skip service as his mother’s only source of support. He sees army life as his way out of poverty, a source in South Hamgyong province told Daily NK on Friday.
On Oct. 17, the mother went to her son’s school and pleaded with his homeroom teacher. “My child must never go to the army,” she said, asking the teacher not to bring him to his physical examination even if he insisted.
Senior high schools cover the last three years of North Korea’s 12-year compulsory education system. Graduating students usually undergo two or three physical examinations before they enlist in the military.
Schools take students to hospitals for these checkups, along with an officer from the local military mobilization department. The department handles conscription at the provincial, city and county levels, compiling draft lists and screening candidates.
That is why the mother went to the school in person, hoping to get her son off the checkup list. She has supported the household alone since her husband died in an accident when the boy was in primary school.
North Korea grants exemptions when one parent has died and a child must support the surviving parent. Some families in the province have even arranged sham divorces to keep their sons out of the army.
The student meets the criteria for an exemption, but he refuses to give up his plan to enlist. In his view, building a foundation through military service is the only way to lift his family out of hardship.
Why a Tanchon teen is rejecting his military service exemption
Years of pity and scorn from neighbors also shaped his decision, according to the source. Growing up without a father left him feeling looked down upon, and that resentment has hardened his resolve.
He recently poured out those pent-up feelings to his mother. “Do you know how much it hurt to be looked down on my whole life just because I didn’t have a father?” he asked her.
“The boy knows full well that his mother will struggle on her own once he leaves for the army,” the source said. “He knows he should stay and help support the family, but he keeps saying the army is his only escape.”
His mother is still trying hard to change his mind, the source added. She has told him that other students do everything they can to fail their physical examinations.
In her view, his classmates would envy him for being able to avoid military service altogether. Her argument reflects a wider trend, as young North Koreans increasingly go to great lengths to dodge the draft.
Such worries have grown since Kim Jong Un sent troops to fight alongside Russian forces in the war against Ukraine. Many parents now dread each conscription season because of the risk of overseas deployment.
Military service for North Korean men can last as long as 10 years. A student who enlists right after graduation would therefore spend much of his youth in uniform.
The son says he can accept such a long stint if it lifts him out of his bleak situation. His mother, on the other hand, wants him at home to help earn a living now.
Many young North Korean men see the army as the surest route into the Workers’ Party of Korea. Membership in the ruling party opens doors to better jobs, official posts and higher social standing.
Admission is far from guaranteed, however, and soldiers often compete fiercely for party membership even after a decade of service.
“For the mother, earning a living with her son right now matters far more than any future opportunities,” the source said. “She even scolded him, asking, ‘You should be here earning money with me, so what good will joining the army and the party do you?’”
Mother and son share the same wish to escape their hardship, yet they remain locked in a bitter standoff. He is betting that military service will change his future, while she insists that the family’s survival must come first.
About This Translation
This article was originally written in Korean and translated with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
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