N.K. Soldier Interview Video Released

Daily NK has now released the inteview of the North Korean soldier I first blogged about here. You can see the video here and an English transcript here.

In some ways, the tape is a bit of a disappointment. The soldier’s voice is inaudible for the understandable reasons of his health and apparent efforts to disguise his voice. But why, then, didn’t they pixelize his face, which is identifiable in two portions of the tape? I also wished for some background shots that might have lent the same some authenticity, since some will no doubt question it. I feel bad saying this, knowing the great risk it took to make this tape. My greater fear is that the tape’s release will endanger the soldier and his sister.

The tape is nonetheless interesting and well worth seeing. What did I take from it? The soldier appears to be hiding his face, which suggests that he knows he’s being filmed. That suggests that dissent in the military may be breaking out into the open, particularly if this soldier is willing to speak to a complete stanger on a train (if that’s indeed the way it happened).

There have, of course, been past reports of mutinies in North Korean units; Jasper Becker has compiled a series of these reports at pages 197-200 of his new book, Rogue Regime. Still, friendships in Korean society tend to be very close, lending themselves to conspiracies. A soldier speaking his thoughtcrimes to a stranger with a camera may suggest that the system’s control continues to slip.