The Dual Crisis: 5 Shocking Addictions Plaguing North Korean Soldiers Today

The North Korean military, often portrayed as an unyielding and ideologically pure force, is currently grappling with a severe, two-pronged addiction crisis that threatens its operational readiness and internal discipline. As of December 2025, reports suggest a deep-seated problem with illicit drug use—a systemic issue that has plagued the nation for years—is now being compounded by a bizarre, new-age addiction emerging from troops deployed abroad.

This article dives deep into the latest reports detailing the substances and activities North Korean soldiers are becoming dependent on, exposing a stark reality far removed from the propaganda of the Kim Jong-un regime. The issues range from a national methamphetamine and opium epidemic to a surprising, sudden obsession with unfiltered internet content among troops serving overseas.

The Systemic Crisis: Drug Addiction in the People's Army

The most pervasive and long-standing addiction crisis facing North Korean soldiers is the rampant abuse of illicit drugs, primarily methamphetamine and, more recently, opium. This is not merely a civilian problem; the drug epidemic has deeply infiltrated the ranks of the Korean People's Army (KPA), reflecting the broader social and economic decay within the country.

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Methamphetamine: The "Ice" Epidemic

For years, crystal methamphetamine, or "ice," has been a widespread problem in North Korea. The drug was initially produced by the state for foreign currency but later flooded the domestic market. Soldiers, like the general population, have been drawn to the drug for several reasons:

• As a 'Medicinal' Cure-All: Methamphetamine, locally referred to as "bingdu" or "ice," was often peddled as a cure for various ailments, including colds and chronic fatigue, due to the chronic lack of access to proper medicines and medical supplies.
• To Combat Fatigue and Hunger: The grueling conditions, chronic food shortages, and intense physical demands of military service make the drug an attractive, albeit destructive, temporary solution to boost energy and suppress appetite.
• Widespread Availability: Despite heightened crackdowns and stricter anti-narcotics legislation, drug abuse remains widespread, with reports indicating that even government officials and security personnel are involved in distribution networks, making it accessible even within military bases.

The Shift to Opium

In a more recent development, reports indicate that opium is replacing methamphetamine as the primary drug of choice in some regions. This shift is largely attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, which severely disrupted the supply chains of raw materials—often sourced from China—needed to manufacture crystal meth.

Opium, historically cultivated in North Korea, has become easier to source domestically. The addiction to both meth and opium creates a profound health and discipline crisis within the KPA, leading to severe health deterioration and a breakdown in military order, which is a major concern for the regime's operational readiness.

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The Surprising New Obsession: Unfiltered Internet Access

The second, and perhaps most sensational, addiction crisis has emerged among North Korean soldiers deployed outside the tightly controlled borders of the DPRK, specifically those recently sent to Russia. This addiction is not chemical but digital: an obsession with unfiltered internet content, particularly pornography and adult media.

The Starlink Effect

The reports suggest that North Korean troops, while fighting or assisting in Russia, were given access to unrestricted internet, possibly through Starlink or other uncensored networks, which is an absolute rarity for any North Korean citizen, let alone a soldier.

For individuals who have lived their entire lives under the strictest information blockade in the world—where all media is state-controlled and the internet is a heavily firewalled intranet called Kwangmyong—unrestricted access to the global web is an overwhelming experience.

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• Gorging on Pornography: Multiple sources indicate that the soldiers, upon gaining this unprecedented freedom, began "gorging on pornography" and adult movies. This sudden, intense exposure to adult content has reportedly led to an addiction, diverting their attention and focus from their military duties.
• Information Overload: Beyond adult content, the sheer volume of uncensored information about the outside world, including South Korea and the rest of the globe, acts as a powerful, addictive force, shattering the regime's carefully constructed narrative. This exposure is a significant risk for ideological contamination and potential desertion.

This situation highlights a critical vulnerability: the moment the regime's information control is lifted, the soldiers—who are essentially young men deprived of normal life—are immediately drawn to the forbidden fruits of the outside world. This digital dependency poses a unique security risk, as it suggests a fundamental weakness in the ideological conditioning of the KPA when faced with reality.

The Broader Health and Social Crisis in the KPA

These two addiction crises—chemical and digital—are symptoms of a much larger humanitarian and health crisis within the North Korean military. The KPA’s operational effectiveness is continually undermined by a confluence of systemic failures:

• Chronic Malnutrition: Widespread food shortages and the regime's priority spending on military hardware over troop welfare mean many soldiers suffer from chronic malnutrition and poor health, making them vulnerable to disease and dependency.
• Lack of Medical Care: The country's chronic lack of access to basic medicines and medical supplies forces soldiers to resort to dangerous self-medication, including the use of meth or other substances, to treat minor ailments or simply to cope.
• Low Morale and Desertion: The combination of harsh conditions, starvation, and drug addiction contributes to extremely low morale. While specific figures are hard to verify, reports from defectors consistently cite these conditions as major factors in the decision to flee the country.

The plight of the North Korean soldier is a complex tragedy. They are victims of a system that demands absolute loyalty and sacrifice while failing to provide basic human necessities. The addictions they develop, whether to drugs to numb the pain of hunger and exhaustion, or to digital content to escape the suffocating reality of their existence, are a direct consequence of the regime's misallocation of resources and its oppressive information control.

Ultimately, the dual addiction crisis in the North Korean military is a stark indicator of the regime's priorities. While Kim Jong-un continues to showcase advanced weaponry and military parades, the health, morale, and ideological purity of his frontline troops are being silently eroded by both homegrown drugs and the irresistible allure of the outside world's information and entertainment.