<Inside N. Korea>Big reduction in the number of soldiers (Part 1): Men's military service drastically reduced from 13 years to 8 years. What are Kim Jong-un's intentions? 2021.04.02 (Photo) Young soldiers bathe and wash clothes along the Yalu River. Everyone is skinny. Photographed from the Chinese side of Sakju County, North Pyongan Province in July 2017 by Jiro Ishimaru. ◆ Promote deployment to understaffed rural coal mines According to a research conducted by our reporting partners living in the northern region, the length of service (military service) in the Korean People's Army has been reduced from 13 years to 8 years for men and from 8 years to 5 years for women. The decision was made after the 8