Failures of central rationing and equipment distribution to the military have resulted in exacerbated disparities from region to region. According to one Daily NK source, a quick glance at a soldier’s uniform is sufficient to predict his or her region, or even unit.
The source from the port city of Chongjin in North Hamkyung Province told Daily NK on July 17th, “Soldiers get very uncomfortable because they are not getting the appropriate uniforms for each season. That’s why fabric for military uniforms sells so well in the jangmadang [market].”
“These uniforms make the soldiers look terrible. You wouldn’t know from looking at some of them whether they were kotjebi [homeless orphans] or members of the military,” he remarked. “Nowadays, you even need money if you want to wear the right uniform and do your military duty properly.”
In principle, Chosun People’s Army (KPA) soldiers should be provided with two sets of both summer and winter uniforms, in addition to essential toiletries, socks, and undergarments. However, this stopped happening regularly during the Arduous March of the 1990s, when the distribution of most types of rations ceased.
According to the source, this state of affairs led some ordinary soldiers and most ranking officers to go and buy the fabric to make uniforms for themselves. Of course, poorer soldiers were obliged to either wear whatever they were given, or resort to stealing.
This situation, which continues today, created a niche market for the fabrics to make military uniforms.
