North Korea’s Unit First Encouraged by Kim Jong Un During the Korean War: How Have They Been Treated Since Then?

105th Guards Seoul Ryu Kyong Su Armored Division, the first unit to enter Seoul during the Korean War, has been receiving special treatment, including meals with rice and meat dishes

North Korean Chairman Kim Jong Un has visited a military unit as part of his military activities. This unit is drawing attention as it was the first to arrive in Seoul 74 years ago during the Korean War on June 25.

According to North Korea’s state media, the Korean Central News Agency, Chairman Kim Jong Un inspected the headquarters of the Korean People’s Army’s 105th Guards Seoul Ryu Kyong Su Armored Division and its directly subordinate 1st Tank Armored Infantry Battalion on the 24th.

The agency described this unit as having “entered Seoul first during the Korean War and hoisted the flag of the Republic at the puppet Central Hall, achieving outstanding military honors in numerous battles.”

On this day, Chairman Kim received a battle plan report and completed a schedule including viewing the commander’s line and revolutionary historical sites.

The 105th Guards Seoul Ryu Kyong Su Armored Division is an armored unit of the North Korean Army, being the first armored unit and the first guards unit of the North Korean military.

It was organized in August 1948 with Ryu Kyong Su, who participated in the anti-Japanese guerrilla movement with Kim Il sung, as its first commander.

After capturing Seoul during the Korean War, it was awarded the division number ‘105’. It is a must-visit place for the Kim family up to the third generation, Kim Jong Un, whenever they inspect the ground forces of North Korea.

Unlike other North Korean divisions, it is known to receive the latest tanks and the best supplies first, and to be treated well.

Actual site photos released by the Korean Central News Agency show the soldiers’ rice bowls filled with white rice in high mounds, along with a bowl of soup, chicken and mushroom side dishes, boiled eggs, and even fruits laid out on the table.

Barracks for each rank had personal spaces prepared, with more than ten mattresses laid on bunk beds per floor.

The agency reported that Chairman Kim said, “We should always pay close attention to improving the dietary life of the soldiers, ensure various side dishes including meat and vegetables in a timely and normal manner, and make every effort to provide excellent living conditions for the soldiers”.

However, people who saw these photos commented, “Did they serve a month’s worth of military food in one meal because Kim Jong Un was coming?”, “It’s unbelievable that serving food in the military is such a big deal”, “North Korea’s elite forces are at the level of our country in the 70s”, and “No wonder defectors from North Korea are shocked when they come to South Korea.”

Meanwhile, the Korean People’s Army is the party army of the Workers’ Party of Korea.

Since 2015, women have also been included in the conscription target, and both men and women are subject to conscription. At the age of 14, they must register as a preliminary target, and at the age of 15, they undergo two physical examinations.

The military service period in North Korea is known to be 10 years, but according to the announcement of the National Intelligence Service in 2021, the mandatory military service period for men has been shortened to 8 years and women to 5 years.

North Korea has invested heavily in the military, but the result has been a collapse of both the people’s livelihood due to economic collapse and military power, and it is now evaluated as a military that is almost impossible to fight in actual combat.

Nevertheless, Chairman Kim Jong Un is raising the level of threat to South Korea and the United States.

Until recently, Chairman Kim directed artillery firing training at the Western District Artillery Unit, which can strike all over South Korea. He was quoted as saying that “destructive attack means are always ready to collapse the enemy’s capital and military structure”.

On the 19th, during a test of the ground ejection of a solid-fuel engine for a new type of medium-to-long-range hypersonic missile, he emphasized that “a timeline for completing the medium-to-long-range hypersonic missile has been set.