Mick Hartley

Twenty North Korean soldiers who "showed dishonorable behavior" to Kim Jong-un on his visit to a special forces training site last September were arrested and sent to a military-run labour camp. They're to be transferred to an isolation zone after serving their time, instead of being sent home. Their parents, meanwhile, were told they were dead. One set of distraught parents, who happened to have good connections in Pyongyang, determined to find out what had happened – which is how the truth emerged. Then the parents disappeared. From the Daily NK:

When a couple in Sariwon, North Hwanghae province, learned about their only son’s supposed death, they resolved to discover the truth, even if it meant selling everything they owned. They reached out to contacts in Pyongyang and eventually uncovered what had happened.

The devastated couple shared the story with neighbors, expressing disbelief that this could happen to their cherished son, who had been born late in their lives. Soon, rumors spread throughout the city.

Shortly afterward, the couple vanished.

“Soldiers escorted the parents to Pyongyang on Feb. 15, and they never returned. Four days later, housing officials arrived to announce their home would be reassigned to another family. The entire neighborhood was stunned,” said the source….

The incident has created anxiety within military ranks. Officers interpret this as a warning that any violation involving Kim will face severe punishment without exception. They anticipate stricter regulations regarding the supreme leader throughout all units.

“Soldiers at the training site where the incident occurred are experiencing extreme anxiety, fearing they could lose everything while their families receive only a brief death notification,” the source concluded.

We're not told the nature of the soldiers' "dishonorable behavior" which led to their punishment, but we can be fairly sure it was something trivial: perhaps looking the other way when Kim was talking, for instance.