The Full Size And Force Of The Army
Since North Korea and its armed forces were formed in 1948 much of it has been a total mystery to the rest of the world. But due to the fact that the country loves to hold military parades and fire missiles we have been able to gain some knowledge about what this increasingly aggressive country has to offer.
Here’s is what the outside world has been able to gather about the extremely secretive North Korea and its military from the brief views we are given inside the country.
North Korea is actually home to the fourth largest military in the world. And despite being its leader Kim Jong Un who took over the country in 2011 after his dad Kim Jong Il died of a heart attack, has no formal military training.
According to a Newsweek Analysis, North Korea is home to 3,500 tanks, 72 submarines, 302 helicopters, 563 combat aircraft, 21,100 pieces of artillery.
They Like Their Missiles In a photo released on May 14th by Korean Central News Agency, Kim Jong Un was seen inspecting a new ground to ground medium long range static missile at an undisclosed location. That coupled with their repeated attempts at launching nuclear weapons over the years and it’s clear that the country isn’t shy about their missile systems.
They Have Quite The Collection Of Missiles Too
Over the years the North Korean Military has built up quite the stash of different types of missiles. Today, thought to be in possession of over a thousand ranging from long, medium and short range systems that could potentially do a lot of damage.
The Demilitarized No-Man's Land
As of 2014 seventy percent of their ground forces and 50 percent of air and naval forces were deployed within about 62 miles of the demilitarized no man's land between North and South Korea.
It's Called The Korean People’s Army
The military force of the country is called The Korean People’s Army or KPA. As of today, the Korean Army is comprised of over 1.2 million active soldiers.
They All Serve Their Term
On top of that, there are over 7.7 million waiting in the reserves.
Most citizens in North Korea serve in the military after they graduated from high school. The men serve a term of ten years. Those who decided to go to college serve for five years after they graduate with their degree.
Women Serve As Well
Though in an order to encourage people to study science Kim Jong Un decided those that got a degree in the scientific field would only serve three years in the military.
Before 2015 women served in the KPA on purely a volunteer basis. But as of 2015, it’s mandatory for women to serve. However, their term is much shorter than their male counterparts.
It's The Countries Biggest Employer
Women in the North Korean Military serve only seven years.
The military is the nation’s largest employer. Almost everyone in the country serves some time in the military depending on schooling and gender.
If You Want A Vehicle, Join The Military Or Government
It's why the nation's military is so large and seems to have no shortage of reserves as well.
The only people in the country who are allowed to own motorized vehicles are military and government officials. The tanks and troop transport seen in parades the military puts represent a motorized world far beyond the reach of most North Koreans.
They Also Indure Terrible Conditions
Only military and government officials are allowed to own motor vehicles in the country.
Due to extremely rigorous training and a serious lack of resources many of those serving in the nation's military face malnourishment and hunger. Though most of the rest of the conditions that soldiers deal with are kept tightly under wraps it’s not hard to imagine they are not the best.
They Have Spent A Lot Of Money
Though North Korea's missiles may merely be an expensive show of strength. It’s estimated that North Korea is spending up to 22 percent of its gross domestic product on its military.
They Tried To Dig Tunnels Of Aggression
(North Korea state media puts the figure at 15.8 percent.) At the same time, an estimated 40 percent of North Korea's population suffers from malnourishment.
In 1974 South Korea has discovered four tunnels under the DMZ. Thought to be an attempt by North Korea to create an invasion route. When the first tunnel was discovered it had already been fortified with concrete, wired with electricity and equipped with a narrow railway capable of transferring 20,000 soldiers per hour.
They Are A Propaganda Machine
Today, these tunnels are guarded by the South Korean military and are available for visit by tourists.
It’s no secret that the country likes to show off. They hold parades and are known to take pictures distributing them to make the army look big, powerful, and impressive.
The Weapons We Have Seen Before
They are known to choreograph anything especially when cameras are turned on.
The weapons wielded by North Korean soldiers closely resemble those of Soviet Union soldiers. Prior to the Korean War, Joseph Stalin equipped the Korean People’s Army with tons of military equipment.
They Might Have Biological Weapons As Well
Among them: tanks, artillery, guns, and trucks.
We know they have Guns and missiles. But those aren’t the only fear surrounding North Korea.
They Have Been Spying On Their Neighbors
They’ve also threatened America and others with chemical agents and biological warfare over the years.
In June 2017 a drone was found in a forest near the North Korean border, the North Korean military allegedly launched a drone to take photographs of a U.S.
They Use Undisclosed Locations
anti-missile battery in South Korea.
All of their military training takes place in undisclosed locations around the country. If you’ve ever thought the U.S.
Despite Size, It’s Fairly Out Dated.
government throws the phrase ‘undisclosed location’ around too much, it pales in comparison to North Korea.
It might be one of the world’s largest military force by size but most of their equipment still seems a bit out dated. In fact, the newest plane obtained for their air force was joined the ranks in 1999.
The Missile Program Has Been Around
While it seems like recently we are hearing more and more about North Korea’s missile the program has actually been around since the 1960’s. In fact, it really began to flourish all the way back in the 1970’s and has continued to all the way through today.
