Military of North Korea

Military of North Korea
Name	Democratic People's Republic of Korea Armed Forces
Native name	조선인민군
Founded	1948
Headquarters	Pyongyang
Commander in chief	Kim Jong Un
Active personnel	est. 1,000,000
Branches	Korean People's Army Ground Force, Korean People's Army Air and Anti-Air Force, Korean People's Navy, Strategic Force (North Korea), Korean People's Army Strategic Rocket Forces
Notable commanders	Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il

Military of North Korea The armed forces of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea trace roots to the post-World War II period and the Korean War, evolving under leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il into a large conscript force centered on the capital Pyongyang and geared toward deterrence against United States, Republic of Korea, and allied forces on the Korean Peninsula. The institution is intertwined with state bodies like the Workers' Party of Korea, the Central Military Commission, and security organizations including the Ministry of People's Armed Forces, shaping doctrine influenced by events such as the Korean War and crises like the Axel Springer Crisis.

History

Origins of the armed forces are tied to anti-Japanese guerrilla units led by Kim Il Sung and the establishment of the state in 1948, followed by large-scale combat in the Korean War involving United States Armed Forces, People's Liberation Army (China), and Soviet Union support. Post-armistice developments included Soviet-supplied T-34 and later T-54 tanks, influence from the Warsaw Pact, and doctrinal shifts under Kim Jong Il toward Songun or "military-first" policy, impacting relations with United Nations sanctions regimes and negotiations like the Agreed Framework. Nuclear and missile ambitions accelerated after collapse of the Soviet Union, leading to crises during the 2006 North Korean nuclear test, 2013 nuclear test, and multiple satellite launch attempts contested by United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Organization and Command Structure

Command centers on Kim Jong Un as Supreme Commander, with political authority exercised through the Workers' Party of Korea and its Central Military Commission, and formal administration via the Ministry of People's Armed Forces and the General Staff Department. Service branches include the Korean People's Army Ground Force, Korean People's Army Air and Anti-Air Force, Korean People's Navy, and strategic units termed the Strategic Force (North Korea) or Korean People's Army Strategic Rocket Forces, with parallel security organs such as the State Security Department and Ministry of State Security shaping internal control and counterintelligence. Military parades on Kim Il Sung Square and protocols involving honors like the Order of Kim Il Sung project power and political cohesion within militarized institutions like the Korean People's Internal Security Forces.

Personnel and Conscription

Manpower is maintained through mandatory conscription based on laws enacted by the Supreme People's Assembly and implemented across provinces including Pyongyang and Rason, producing a large standing force supplemented by reserves tied to mobilization plans influenced by experiences from the Korean War and Cold War exercises with Soviet Union and China. Officer corps trajectories reflect education at institutions such as Kim Il Sung Military University and training exchanges historically with the Soviet Armed Forces and People's Liberation Army (China), while elite units receive priority for equipment akin to directives under Songun policies and patronage from the Workers' Party of Korea.

Ground Forces

The Korean People's Army Ground Force fields numerically large formations organized into corps, divisions, and brigades equipped with armor like T-62, T-55, and indigenous designs, artillery systems including multiple rocket launchers comparable to BM-21 Grad types, and extensive fortifications along the Demilitarized Zone and coastal sectors. Doctrine emphasizes massed artillery bombardment capabilities aimed at Seoul and rapid infiltration tactics using special operations trained in techniques seen in historic battles such as the Battle of Inchon context, while engineering and logistics draw on legacy support networks from the Soviet Union and regional procurement channels.

Air and Air Defense Forces

The Korean People's Army Air and Anti-Air Force operates fighters of Soviet lineage like the MiG-29 and older MiG-21 platforms, transport and reconnaissance assets, and layered air defenses combining surface-to-air missile systems modeled on S-75 Dvina and radar networks reminiscent of Cold War deployments used by the Soviet Union. Air operations focus on denial of airspace over the peninsula and protection of strategic assets near Pyongyang, with emphasis on integration of missile units in air-defense doctrine influenced by incidents involving United States Forces Korea air patrols and regional airspace incursions.

Navy and Coastal Defense

The Korean People's Navy maintains submarines including Sang-O class and coastal patrol craft, a fleet oriented toward littoral warfare, sea denial, and infiltration missions targeting waters near Yellow Sea and Sea of Japan (East Sea of Korea), supported by mine warfare capabilities and coastal artillery batteries reminiscent of Cold War coastal defenses. Naval doctrine stresses asymmetric operations against Republic of Korea Navy and United States Navy presence, deploying fast attack craft, midget submarines, and special forces trained for maritime sabotage and raids.

Strategic Forces (Nuclear and Missile)

Strategic capabilities center on ballistic missile programs including mobile TEL-launched systems and space launch vehicles derived from the Unha family, tested at facilities such as the Sohae Satellite Launching Station and announced in nuclear tests at sites like Punggye-ri. The Strategic Force (sometimes called the Korean People's Army Strategic Rocket Forces) integrates short-, medium-, and intercontinental-range missiles with declared nuclear devices, provoking responses from the United Nations Security Council, Six-Party Talks, and bilateral diplomacy with United States, China, and Russia. Sanctions and proliferation concerns involve entities like the KEDO and multilateral regimes, while strategic doctrine emphasizes deterrence, second-strike survivability, and leverage in negotiations exemplified by episodic détente and crisis cycles.

Category:Korea