북한 여군의 일상 행태 연구: '후견인-피후견인 관계(Patron-Client Relations)' 개념을 중심으로

Abstract

This paper attempts to analyze daily behavior of North Korean female soldiers by concept of ‘patron-client relations,’ which helps to understand informal interactions between North Korean (male and female) officers and female soldiers behind official facades. Conclusively influenced by the double-command structure in the socialist military, the military’s culture of absolute obedience, frequent labor mobilization, pervasive corruption and other illegal activities, and lack of appropriate sex education, the officer-soldier relations in daily life have strong patronage characteristics. The officerfemale soldier patronage can be classified into two kinds, based on the sex of patron: male patron-female client and female patron-female client. This patronage, influenced by the military’s culture of absolute obedience, is more vertical and forceful than that in the civilian sector. It is also very comprehensive and ‘whole-person’ because they daily interact through military training, barrack life, and labor mobilization. Like other types of patronage, this military patronage basically depends on mutual exchanges of material and non-material things in which a female soldier sometimes strategically responds to her officer patron. 1