Many probably noticed in the news or in the photo on the Web that all the jackets of high-ranking military personnel in North Korea are hung with medals. But where did such a number of them come from, if this country has not participated in any serious military conflict, if you do not take into account their insignificant participation in the Ethiopian civil war at the beginning nineties. There were also small skirmishes with the South Koreans, but they cannot be called large-scale.
1. The idea with medals was borrowed from the USSR
At one time, when the Japanese occupied North Korea, many young people who later became the leaders of this state fled the country to the USSR. Kim Il Sung during the Second World War, for example, commanded one of the rifle battalions of the Soviet army. For military merits, he repeatedly received awards, including the Order of the Red Banner.
After the end of the Korean War and the division of the country into two parts, many of those Koreans who served together with the future leader of North Korea took the awards of the USSR as an example. Medals for this country were produced at our mints almost until 1958. Then the production of all existing North Korean awards was organized on its territory. The only difference in manufacturing was that instead of silver, inexpensive metals were added to their medals.
2. Why do the generals of this country have so many medals
In North Korea, society is militarized, and from the word "completely". Almost all aspects of the life of the population are under the control of the military. In this regard, even those that are not such in other countries and states of the world are included in the category of military awards. These awards are accumulated by generals throughout their entire military career, almost from the first day they enter the service.
A number of North Korean generals have state awards in the form of medals for fishing. They are awarded to very young military personnel who distinguished themselves in catching big fish, as well as for their contribution to the fight against hunger. In addition, they have separate medals for the construction of power plants, dams, work in a coal mine, and the cultivation of crops.
By the way, orders and medals are awarded not only to male soldiers, but also to girls who successfully work for the good of their country. They are also required to serve in the army for a sufficiently long period of time.
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3. three generation rule
But all this is only one of the factors influencing the fact that the generals have many awards. There is still a special law here, called the "rule of three generations."
This definition refers to the system of inheritance existing in the state in 3 generations. We are talking about the privileges granted, and about honorable merits, and about military awards. It turns out that the officers and generals of the DPRK wear not only their personal awards, but also those that were once awarded to their grandfathers and fathers.
There is also the other side of the coin - the rule of punishment in 3 generations. If a person is guilty of a crime, not only him, but the whole family is sent to special labor camps, where the next two generations of him live. These people are completely deprived of any privileges. Thus, they pay for what they did not do, for the actions and mistakes made by relatives. One of them is an escape from the state.
No less interesting and useful to know how to distinguish the inhabitants of China, Korea and Japan, if they all look the same.
A source: https://novate.ru/blogs/191021/60934/