From the Daily NK:
N.Korea Urges the Public to Help Disabled Veterans
Last Saturday, Chosun-Shinbo, bulletin of Chochongryon that pro-North Korean residents’ league in Japan introduced Mansudae Art Troupe’s members who are helping disabled veterans in an article titled ‘supporting honored (disabled) veterans is people’s duty.’
In North Korea, disabled veterans are called ‘honored veterans’ and various aid policies for them are provided.
According to the bulletin, Mansudae Art Troupe’s singer Kim Jeong Sil visits her neighbor Moon Sung Jun, a special-level honored veteran, and entertains him.
Another member of the Art Troupe Jo Choon Ok is helping Kim Eun Sik, a former female volunteer soldier during the Korean War. These benevolent activities by Troupe members are neither forced nor those of pity or for reputation but proof of communist morals, said Chosun-Shinbo.
North Korea’s state media often report honored veterans support activities in order to spread awareness for disabled veterans.
‘Honored veterans’ are classified into four levels, which are special-level, level 1, level 2 and level 3. And veteran’s pension is distributed according to the level.
Spreading awareness for honored veterans through state media
Special-level veterans are those who received serious wound and are unable to move freely by him/herself. Level-1 veterans lost their sight or hand. Level-2 and level-3 veterans are fortunate enough that they suffered only minor injuries.
Since the Korean War, North Korean government has paid much attention to the living condition of disabled veterans and built factories for the veterans, including Mangyongdae Honored Veterans Fountain Pen Factory, Sariwon H.V. Sewing Factory, Hamheung H.V. Supplies Factory.
In the eighties, many women married with honored veterans. For those who married with special-level veterans, Kim Jong Il’s personal gifts and thanks were given. Wives of honored veterans enjoy huge social benefits but, at the same time, they suffer hardship in their personal lives.
For example, most of them serve their disabled husbands as a nurse. Moreover, those who get married with impotent veteran cannot have normal sexual lives. And sometimes those problems resulted in divorce among honored veteran couples.
Since the mid-90s, the number of disabled veterans increased as the army took part in construction of major infrastructure projects. Usually at building sites, safety is neglected and engineers depend on primitive construction tools. Thus accidents are frequent and more veterans are disabled.
North Korea, suffering a disastrous economic crisis, cannot keep up its generosity for disabled veterans. So the state media introduce personal volunteers for disabled veterans and call upon the North Korean public to help the veterans.
