Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the essential structure of the lived experience of North Korean female defectors' military life experience in North Korea. Methods: Ten North Korean female defectors having military life experience in North Korea for more than 3 years were interviewed in depth from May to October in 2018. The data were analyzed with phenomenological research methods of Colaizzi. Results: The meaning of military life experiences in North Korea among the participants were founded as five categories from twelve theme clusters and twenty eight themes. The five categories were ‘Enlistment that guarantees a bright dream and a hopeful future’, ‘Painful adolescence to be reborn as a strong soldier’, ‘Tough military life as a woman’, ‘Guarantee of a stable life as a female military veteran’, and ‘Military experience that has not served as prop for life’. Conclusion: The study results showed a fundamental understanding of female soldiers' military life in North Korea. Based on the results, it is necessary to develop basic educational materials on North Korean female soldiers for South Korean Military to prepare for inter-Korean exchange and reunification of Korea.