According to a source in Yanggang Province for NK Times on the 30th, two soldiers from the 25th Border Guard Brigade went missing in the Hwajeon-ri area of Pochon County in the early morning of the 26th.
The missing soldiers are 18 and 21 years old, and have been in the military for 8 and 40 months, respectively. On the day of the incident, they were performing an undercover duty at dawn, and although the water level of the Yalu River had risen rapidly due to heavy rain since the morning of the previous month, they were unable to leave their undercover post because they had not received an order to withdraw, and it is reported that they met with disaster.
It is said that the North Korean Border Guard’s border guard duty regulations include a clause that requires soldiers to withdraw from their undercover duty sites when the river water rises due to heavy rain.
However, the commanders of the relevant division did not issue an order to withdraw due to concerns about the possibility of defection using the weather conditions on the day of the incident. Furthermore, it is reported that the military officers and officers who were mobilized for duty on the day of the incident fell asleep and did not change shifts.
As a result, the soldiers were unable to withdraw even when the river water rose to their waists, and it is reported that they were caught in the rapids and went missing, according to the source.
The source pointed out that “there are regulations that require soldiers to be withdrawn when a natural disaster such as a fire or flood occurs,” and “however, the commanders who were mobilized for duty on the day of the incident fell asleep and were unable to change shifts or respond to the weather, which led to the disappearances.”
He continued, “Every year, natural disasters such as heavy rain frequently cause casualties,” and emphasized, “This incident is also an extension of that, and it is time for the military to establish appropriate safety measures.”
The source added, “The military unit in question presumes that the missing soldiers were swept away by the rapids, and they are currently conducting a search operation in the nearby area to find at least the bodies, but they have not been found yet.”
Meanwhile, the source reported that due to this flood, outposts in areas other than Hwajon-ri have been swept away by the rapids or submerged, making it difficult to conduct undercover work.
***This article was translated by Google, so it may differ from the Korean version.
