All North Korean recruits are taught a song that includes a verse about saving their last bullet for themselves to avoid capture, one former soldier told NBC News.

But Lee Chul Eun is one of them. Lee, 38, a North Korean defector and former soldier now living in South Korea, said it is “devastating” to see troops from the reclusive, communist-ruled North ...

Recovering South Korean shopaholic-turned-climate activist Lee So-yeon used to buy new clothes almost daily -- until a $1.50 winter coat triggered an awakening that stopped her shopping entirely.

When it came to weapons training — on a North Korean version of the AK-47 — there was very little shooting because bullets were "strictly controlled," Lee said. "So the first year of my ...