Dominic Lopez

Dr. Adrienne Cassel

English Composition II

ENG 1201

How Strong is the North Korean Military?

North Korea is one of the most mysterious countries on the planet. This had led to much

speculation about the quote-unquote “Hermit Kingdom,” specifically about its military

capabilities. Despite North Korea possessing the largest military in the world, many still ask:

how strong is North Korea’s Military? Despite what some detractors might say, the Korean

People’s Army may be one of the most powerful militaries in Asia, if not the world.

To truly understand the modern North Korean military, one must look back to before the

Korean War. Officially formed on the eighth of February, 1948; the Korean People’s Army

consists of the Korean People’s Army Ground Force, Naval Force, Air and Anti-Air Force,

Strategic Rocket Force, and Special Operations Force (Mitzer et al). In opposition to the

American-backed Republic of Korea in the south, the Soviet Union supplied the fledgling North

Korean army with copious amounts of supplies and training (Weber). The Korean People’s

Army was soon transformed into a powerful fighting force, greatly mirroring that of the Soviet

Red Army (Tertitskiy)

This force would be put to the test just two years later, on the 25th of June, 1950. On that

day, North Korean forces blitzed south, kicking off the Korean War, or the “Fatherland

Liberation War” as it is known in North Korea. Although the three-year conflict would end in a
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relatively fruitless stalemate, the ramifications of the war can still be seen in Korea today.

Indeed, as the war only “ended” with an armistice and not an actual peace treaty; the war

continues with varying degrees of intensity to this day. While largely forgotten by the United

States, the Korean War would be instrumental in the formation of the modern-day Korean

People’s Army.

Despite having suffered heavy losses during the course of the war, the Korean People’s

Army would emerge from the ashes stronger than before. Now equipped with a veteran army,

and further supplemented by several modernization programs, North Korea’s military would

enter a golden age during the sixties and seventies (Mitzer et al). It would also be during this

time that the North’s policy of “songun,” meaning “military-first,” would start to be

implemented (Weber). These developments would lay the foundation for the modern Korean

People’s Army.

Despite famine and economic instability, North Korea would enter the 21st century with

an army of impressive size and immense armament. But with the advent of the internet, the

Korean People’s Army would also go from a relatively unknown fighting force, to one under

great scrutiny by the West. With this scrutiny came copious amounts of derision and mockery

from the public, many of whom began to view the North Korean military as outdated and

harmless. Images like Figure 1 are spread on the internet to showcase an army that appears

almost laughably inept; utilizing outdated and ill-fitting neon green camouflage (Beyer). But

despite this mockery, North Korea continues to be a significant threat to America and her allies.
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Fig. 1 North Korean soldiers train using ill-fitting camouflage (Beyer)

To illustrate this, one only has to look at the largest branch of the Korean People’s Army:

the Korean People’s Army Ground Force. Comprising of nearly nine-million personnel, it is the

largest army in the entire world. This size has led to it becoming the premier branch of the

Korean People’s Army, with the Ground Force being the foremost threat to the South. Indeed, in

the event of another war breaking out on the peninsula, the Ground Force will engage in the

bombastically named “One Blow Non-Stop Attack” (Mitzer et al). Despite its relatively silly

title, this strategy was used to great effect during the Korean War, in which the North managed

to push South Korean and UN defenders back to the city of Pusan in little more than a month.

This has led to it seemingly becoming the primary strategy of the Ground Force.
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To facilitate such a blitzkrieg, the Ground Force has invested heavily in offensive

equipment, most of which is domestically produced. North Korea’s armament industry traces

itself all the way back to 1948, and, despite heavy sanctions, exports weapons to a variety of

countries and groups (Mitzer et al). This has given the Ground Force a vast array of weaponry,

the quality of which varies drastically from unit to unit. Still, with decades of experiences in

producing weapons, the equipment afforded to the Ground Force gets more and more advanced

as time goes by.

One such example is in small arms. Although some units, primarily reservists and militia,

are still issued weapons dating back to World War Two; a great deal of advancements have been

made in the issuance of modern infantry weapons. Perhaps the most dangerous of these

developments, and one of the few to have seen combat in recent years, is the Bulsae-2. Although

at its core a copy of the Soviet 9K111 Fagot anti-tank guide missile; the Bulsae-2 is a great deal

more advanced. Featuring a laser guidance system instead of a fragile wire-guided system, as

well as the ability to avoid jamming; the Bulsae-2 has recently seen service in the hands of the

Palestinian terrorist group Hamas (Oliemans et al). In their service, the Bulsae-2 was pitted

against advance Israeli main battle tanks, equipped with state-of-the-art countermeasures against

such missiles. Although the results of this combat usage are unknown; it illustrates the fact that

North Korea not only possesses advanced weapons, but it can also transport these weapons to

terrorist groups and rogue states (Oliemans et al). This is just one small kernel of evidence that

proves that the North pose a threat not just to their immediate neighbors, but potentially to

people all across the globe.

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Fig. 2 A North Korea Bulsae-2 missile launcher in use by a Hamas militant (Oliemans et al)

The Hermit Kingdom can build more than just simple small arms, however. The North

has also invested heavily in artillery and multiple-launch rocket launchers, most of which it

produces domestically. Military analysts and authors of one of the most comprehensive studies

on the Korean military, Stijn Mizer and Joost Oliemans, wrote: “With some 8,600 artillery pieces

larger than seventy-six millimeters, and 5,500 active [Multiple Rocket Launchers] in active

service, North Korea boasts the largest artillery forces in the world, surpassing even powers such

as China, Russia, and the USA.” (Mitzer et al). With so many guns and rockets pointed South,
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the amount of destruction the North can wrought onto the Republic of Korea is staggering. It is

believed that in just one hour, North Korean artillery can kill over 200,000 South Koreans

(Peck). "Though the expanding range of North Korea’s ballistic missiles is concerning, a serious,

credible threat to twenty-five million [Republic of Korea] citizens and approximately 150,000

U.S. citizens living in the [Greater Seoul Metropolitan Area] is also posed from its long-range

artillery," (Axe) quotes retired General Vincent Brooks, former head of American army forces in

Korea, to a Senate committee in 2018. Brooks further elaborated that "North Korea has deployed

at least three artillery systems capable of ranging targets in the [Greater Seoul Metropolitan

Area] with virtually no warning," (Axe).

Another potential avenue for the North to terrorize the South is with the Korean People’s

Army Special Operations Force. Designed to support a North Korean offensive from behind

enemy lines, they would “be employed for strategic, operational and tactical level operations,

which would see the destruction of key military and civilian targets as well as infrastructure to

hinder the [Republic of Korea Army]’s advanced towards the [Demilitarized Zone], the

assassination of military and political figures, and identification of targets for artillery and

ballistic missiles.” (Mitzer et al). This makes the Special Operations Force not only very potent

against military targets, but even against civilian targets. Indeed, the Special Operations Force

has been used against civilians. For example, during the infamous Blue House Raid of 1968,

thirty-eight North Korean commandos would infiltrate the South in order to assassinate its

president. While the attempt failed, the assassins would leave a trail of destruction in their wake.

This was just one of many raids the North conducted against the South, oftentimes leaving

civilians and Southern soldiers dead. “For over a year, the North had been kidnapping South
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Korean fishermen, had sunk a [Republic of Korea] navy ship in 1967 trying to protect them and

was still killing U.S. and South Korean troops along the [Demilitarized Zone].” (Rawnsley). This

shows that the North is more than willing, and capable, of attacking the South and terrorizing her

people even after the armistice has been signed.

To further exemplify this is the Cheonan incident of March 2010. The corvette Cheonan

of the Republic of Korea Navy was sunk, taking forty-six of her crew with her. The cause was a

North Korean torpedo fired from a submarine. Despite the Cheonan utilizing its advanced active

sonar to weed out any underwater threats, the Northern submarine had expertly avoided

detection, despite being just thirty meters under the water. After claiming its kill, the submarine

stealthily retreated back to Northern waters undetected. This attack was anything but

opportunistic; as the North had been prepping for such an attack for over a week (Mitzer et al).

The Cheonan was just one of the most recent terror attacks against the South, but it would not be

the last.

In November of that same year, North Korean artillery suddenly bombarded South

Korea’s Yeonpyeong Island. The surprise attack would destroy much of the island, and claim the

lives of two South Korean soldiers and two civilians. Like with the Cheonan, the North had

extensively prepared for this insidious assault on the innocent; even going so far as setting up

radar jamming sites to largely mitigate the South’s counterattack (Mitzer et al). The North

clearly has no qualms in regards to shattering the fragile peace on the Korean peninsula. But

despite this, why do some claim that the North poses no threat to the world? Certainly, the North

has inflicted far more damage on the South after the Korean War than the South has onto it. Still,
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some claim that in a war with the North, the United States and her allies would push aside the

North Koreans with ease.

Fig 3. The salvaged remains of the ROKS Cheonan. The Cheonan’s sinking is just one of many

deadly provocations against the South committed by North Korea in recent memory (Lendon)

There are however some areas in which the North is hopelessly outmatched. The most

notable of which is in the air. With a mere handful of late Cold War-era fighters being their most

effective weapons, they are no match for the South Korean or American air forces. But the North

Koreans are anything but uncreative, especially when at a disadvantage. Faced with shortages of

aviation fuel and spare parts, the North uses digital flight simulators to train its pilots (Mitzer et

al). While certainly not as effective as actual training flights, this level of ingenuity and

improvisation is a common theme in the North Korean military.

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As seen previously with the Cheonan and Yeonpyeong Island, the North is able to

mitigate its disadvantages in technology by using its wits. With careful planning, the North is

even able to make perhaps its weakest branch, the Air and Air Defense Force, into an effective

threat against much larger and more advanced air forces. The North has in the past intercepted,

and even on a few occasions shot down American aircraft. The most notable example of this is

the 1969 destruction of an American EC-121M reconnaissance aircraft. This shootdown was

likely meticulously planned, with the North even going so far as to have it coincide with Kim

Jong Il’s birthday (Mitzer et al). However, even with careful planning, during a war with the

South it is admittedly unlikely that the North Korean air force will be able to do any real damage.

But during times of low military preparedness, even the North’s weakest branches should not be

underestimated.

Another example of this is the Korean People’s Army Naval Force. Despite not even

being able to sail from one side of the country to the other, the North’s navy has proven to be one

of its deadliest branches. Outside of the aforementioned Cheonan, the Naval Force is responsible

for widespread destruction against South Korean and even American civilian and military forces.

And, like the many of the other branches of the Korean People’s Army, it has proven to be more

than capable at terrorizing civilians. The Naval Force is believed to be responsible for the

kidnappings, and even murders, of thousands of innocent South Korean fishermen. It is also

responsible for the seizing of the USS Pueblo from international waters (Mitzer et al). While

unlikely to be capable of challenging the Republic of Korea and United States’ navies in a

straight up fight; the Naval Force’s ability to inflict casualties using subterfuge should not be

ignored.
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Of equal concern, and perhaps the only branch of the North Korean military that raises

any worries from western media, is the Korean People’s Army Strategic Rocket Force.

Specializing in ballistic missiles, as well as nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons; the

Strategic Rocket Force could potentially be the deadliest branch of the Korean People’s Army.

Furthermore, it is more than likely that the North intends to use its weapons of mass destruction

in an offensive against the South. “Any conflict to erupt on the Korean Peninsula is likely to

eventually devolve into the use of [Weapons of Mass Destruction], either from the onset of

hostilities or after the North’s main push has ground to a half before meeting its desired

objectives.” (Mitzer et al). The North has quite the menagerie of weapons of mass destructions to

utilize to its advantage.

While news of the North’s nuclear weapons program tends to dominate the headlines, the

North has also invested heavily in chemical and biological weapons. Chemical and biological

weapons are “thought to be inherent to the [Korean People’s Army] conventional warfare

doctrine,” (Mitzer et al), meaning that it is more than likely they will be used in some capacity

should the North attack or be attacked. If employed, these weapons could lead to perhaps

millions of casualties, and would be difficult to be contained; leading to even more deaths after

fighting has ended. These weapons would be especially potent against civilians, and were even

used to assassinate the exiled half-brother of Kim Jong Un, Kim Jong Nam, in 2017 while he

was overseas (Mitzer et al). But the role that nuclear weapons play in the North Korean military

also cannot be ignored.

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While not as large as its chemical and biological weapons stocks, the North is still

believed to have up to sixty-five nuclear weapons of varying yield. Comparatively small when

put next to the United States’ nuclear arsenal, it is still more than enough to give pause to any

potential adversary. As it would take the launch of just one nuke to cause significant damage,

any foe would have to tread lightly while dealing with North Korea, lest they provoke a nuclear

strike. This allows the North to effectively take the entire Korean peninsula hostage; threatening

to utilize its nuclear weapons on both military and civilian targets alike. And given the North’s

ability to strike secretly and without warning, the risk of a North Korean nuclear strike is more

than imaginary (Mitzer et al).

All of these factors make North Korea far deadlier than many claim. Although mocked

and derided for its flaws; its abilities can not be ignored. Indeed, in doing so the North is given a

significant advantage against America and other democratic nations. The Hermit Kingdom

should not be underestimated or looked at as a paper tiger. It should instead be viewed as perhaps

one of the most significant threats to democracy in Asia, and maybe even the world.
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Works Cited

Axe, David. “North Korea’s Deadly Artillery Has the ‘Potential to Affect Millions of South

Korean Citizens.’” The National Interest, 18 Nov. 2018,

nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/north-koreas-deadly-artillery-has-%E2%80%9Cpotential-

affect-millions-south-korean-citizens%E2%80%9D-36427. Accessed 6 August, 2021

Beyer, Oliver. “An Overview of the Camouflage Patterns Used by the Democratic People’s

Republic of Korea.” Armament Research Services, 5 April 2017,

https://armamentresearch.com/an-overview-of-camouflage-patterns-used-by-the-

democratic-peoples-republic-of-korea/ Accessed 23 July, 2021

Lendon, Brad. “S. Korea’s Final Report Affirms Cheonan Was Sunk by N. Korean Torpedo -

CNN.Com.” CNN, 13 Sept. 2010,

edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/09/13/south.korea.cheonan.report/index.html.

Accessed 25 July, 2021

Mitzer, Stijn, and Joost Oliemans. The Armed Forces of North Korea: On the Path of Songun.

Budbrooke Road, Warwick, England, Helion & Company, 2020.

Oliemans, Joost, and Stijn Mitzer. “Gaza Conflict: Hamas’ North Korean Arms.” Oryx Blog, 18

May 2021, www.oryxspioenkop.com/2021/05/gaza-conflict-hamas-north-korean-

arms.html. Accessed 23 July, 2021

Peck, Michael. “North Korea’s Artillery Could Inflict 200,000 Casualties In Just One Hour.”

Forbes, 12 Aug. 2020, www.forbes.com/sites/michaelpeck/2020/08/11/north-koreas-

artillery-could-inflict-200000-casualties-in-just-one-hour. Accessed 25 July, 2021

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Rawnsley, Adam. “Blue House Raid: The North Korean Assassination Attempt That Nearly

Worked.” The National Interest, 8 Dec. 2020, nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/blue-

house-raid-north-korean-assassination-attempt-nearly-worked-174007. Accessed 25 July,

2021

Tertitskiy, Fyodor. “A Study of Soviet Influence on the Formation of the North Korean Army.”

Acta Koreana, vol. 20, no. 1, June 2017, pp. 195–219. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.18399/acta.2017.20.1.009.

Weber, Kamil. “Korean People’s Army: The Origin and Meaning of the Militarization in

DPRK’s Policy.” Journal of Science of the Gen. Tadeusz Kosiuszko Military Academy of

Land Forces, vol. 175, no. 1, Jan. 2015, pp. 123-136. EBSCOhost, doi:

10.5604/17318157.1158560.