By now, surely Gentle Reader has watched the video of the North Korean soldier who made a mad dash from hell to freedom, only to be shot five times by his buddies in the process. And watched the heroic effort of “the enemy” to crawl to the poor fella, and pull him to safety and a South Korean hospital.
Word has it that Pyongyang has replaced the whole border military outfit guarding that section of the 38th Parallel. No telling what the punishment will be for the soldiers therein. And their officers. Or what the rewards would have been if they were better shots, and could have killed the defector on the spot. Maybe an extra bowl of rice?
The papers say the defector, unnamed at this writing, is recovering from his wounds and watching American TV programs. But he might have more health concerns than just the bullet holes. Apparently doctors are treating him for a number of parasitic worms infesting his body. And he also reportedly suffers from tuberculosis and hepatitis b.
We’ve heard reports over the decades that many young people in North Korea weren’t allowed to put on the uniform, as required, because they were physically unable to meet the standards—by being underweight and sick because of the policies of the regime.
Now it appears that being sick, very sick, doesn’t prevent conscription after all.
Which says a lot, and nothing good, about the state of things in North Korea.