Before his escape from North Korea, Lee Gi-chul served as a lieutenant in the Korean People's army, part of the second war training unit responsible for guerrilla warfare.

He said that although the outside world might not enjoy growing animosities between North Korea and the west, it was something his fellow soldiers looked forward to. Not because they were overly patriotic, but because this was the only time they were fed properly.

During annual military drills between the US and South Korea, "we had to spend several nights in the field, march long distances at night, and even during rest, keep our boots on and sleep in short bursts," he said. "Nevertheless, we were happy because this was about the only time we received regular meals: 800g of daily rations. We called it a meal 'above the bowl' because normally there was so little rice in our bowls that you could see to the bottom before you even started eating."

Another former soldier in exile, Kim Hyun-soo, used to work in construction unit 501. "Throughout the year we did hard labour at construction sites or had to work on a farm. But during times of war readiness, the hard labour stopped. All we had to do was turn up to work and wait for orders. When we had to do night shifts in the field, no one took it seriously. Someone would always sneak out a few bottles of alcohol for us to drink at night." Soldiers would play card games while on standby, Kim said.

For ordinary North Koreans however, the military drills are considered more of a nuisance. Since soldiers have to relocate and remain in a restricted area for long periods, they are sent by senior officers into neighbouring villages to demand donations from farmers. One North Korean refugee said that they would "voluntarily offer goods to the soldiers, because no matter how much they saved for themselves, the soldiers would end up finding and stealing their property".

Kim added: "For North Korean soldiers, the US-ROK joint drills are golden days."