북한에서 군은 국가보위의 최후 보루로서 정권의 한 축을 담당하는 무력기관이다. 북한 군인들에 대한 보훈혜택은 북한체제 유지의 근간이기 때문에 북한군에 대한 보훈 정책을 조명하는 것은 북한의 현실을 평가하는 첩경이다. 북한에서 보훈은 김일성과 김정일, 김정은으로 이어지는 ‘대를 이은 충성’을 자발적으로 유도하는 하나의 유인책이면서 정권과 체제를 유지하는 방편으로 활용되고 있다. 보훈 대상자도 헌법상으로는 구분하고 있으나 애국열사나 혁명투사, 영예군인 등의 용어에서 보듯이 혁명이라는 상징에 더 큰 의미를 부여하고 있다. 다시 말해 국가에 대한 충성과 공헌보다는 김일성 일가에 대한 충성심이 우선하는 것이다. 북한군의 보훈정책은 장기복무를 하는 젊은 군인들에게 대한 보상차원에서 노동당 입당과 대학추천, 군관으로의 진출을 보장한다. 그러나 혜택을 받는 인원은 전체 북한군의 숫자로 보면 극히 일부에 지나지 않는다. 한편으로 북한의 보훈제도상 국가로부터 최고의 혜택을 받아야 하는 혁명열사 손자가 탈북하고, 영예군인에 대한 일반 주민들의 지원을 촉구하는 현실은 북한의 보훈정책이 애국심을 함양하는 유인책으로는 기능할 수 없음을 보여주는 것이다. 북한군 보훈정책의 가장 큰 문제점은 경제난으로 충분한 보상이 이루어지지 않음으로 하여 보훈에 대한 의미마저 퇴색하고 있다는 점이다. 다수의 북한 제대군인들은 현실과 이상과의 괴리 속에서 자괴감을 느낄 뿐만 아니라 먹고 살기위해 불법을 저지르다가 북한을 탈출하는 상황에 처하기도 한다. 북한 정부도 군인들에 대한 지원과 예우문제를 심각하게 받아들이고 있으나, 심각한 경제난으로 인해 묘책을 발휘할 수 없는 형편이다. 따라서 보훈혜택을 둘러싼 갈등과 불만은 갈수록 높아질 수밖에 없다.

In North Korea, the military is the last stronghold of national defense and forms an axis of the regime as the national body that wield force. The veteran's benefits for North Korean soldiers is the very foundation of the maintaining the regimein the country. So, it is important to know the veteran's service policy in North Korea to know the exact condition of the country. In North Korea the veteran's service is the very incentive that leads to 'Loyalty for generations after' from the people of North Korea spontaneously and the means to stay in power for the North Korean regime. There are different types of the subjects of such veteran's services determined in the constitution of the country, but, as we can see the names of such subject groups defined therein, like 'Patriotic Hero,' 'Revolutionary Warrior,' 'Honorable Serviceman,' more emphasis is put on the perspective of the revolutionary symbolization. That is, the system puts more emphasison the loyalty to Kim Il Sung and his clan, rather than their mother country and the people. The veteran's benefits in North Korea for the young soldiers who served long stints include the party membership of the Labor Party, recommendation for university entrance, and career jobs as military officers. But, the number of those who enjoy such benefits is extremely small considering the vastness of the North Korean military. On the other hand, the fact that the grandson of the revolutionary hero in North Korea defected and the government calls for the supports for the veterans to ordinary people shows the reality that the veteran's service in North Korea does not function as the incentive for the patriotism. The biggest problem with the North Korean veteran's service is that due to the devastated economy, the implication of the veteran itself is diminishing. The veterans in North Korea have to face the despair due to the gaps between the ideal and the real. And, they commit crimes for their survival and in the end abandon the country they served to protect. The North Korean government takes the reality of the veteran's service seriously, but there is not much they can do about it because of the shattered economy. So, the veterans are getting less and less satisfied with their veteran's services.

In North Korea, the military is the last stronghold of national defense and forms an axis of the regime as the national body that wield force. The veteran's benefits for North Korean soldiers is the very foundation of the maintaining the regimein the country. So, it is important to know the veteran's service policy in North Korea to know the exact condition of the country. In North Korea the veteran's service is the very incentive that leads to 'Loyalty for generations after' from the people of North Korea spontaneously and the means to stay in power for the North Korean regime. There are different types of the subjects of such veteran's services determined in the constitution of the country, but, as we can see the names of such subject groups defined therein, like 'Patriotic Hero,' 'Revolutionary Warrior,' 'Honorable Serviceman,' more emphasis is put on the perspective of the revolutionary symbolization. That is, the system puts more emphasison the loyalty to Kim Il Sung and his clan, rather than their mother country and the people. The veteran's benefits in North Korea for the young soldiers who served long stints include the party membership of the Labor Party, recommendation for university entrance, and career jobs as military officers. But, the number of those who enjoy such benefits is extremely small considering the vastness of the North Korean military. On the other hand, the fact that the grandson of the revolutionary hero in North Korea defected and the government calls for the supports for the veterans to ordinary people shows the reality that the veteran's service in North Korea does not function as the incentive for the patriotism. The biggest problem with the North Korean veteran's service is that due to the devastated economy, the implication of the veteran itself is diminishing. The veterans in North Korea have to face the despair due to the gaps between the ideal and the real. And, they commit crimes for their survival and in the end abandon the country they served to protect. The North Korean government takes the reality of the veteran's service seriously, but there is not much they can do about it because of the shattered economy. So, the veterans are getting less and less satisfied with their veteran's services.

North Korea, Veteran's Service, Veteran's Service of North Korean