Korean Armed forces

North Korea
Population
25,955,138
Military budget
1.6 billion $
Active personnel
1,280,000
Nuclear weapons
<10 warheads
author

Basic informations

Capital: Pyongyang
Area: 120,540 km2
Population: 25,955,138
Etnic groups: racially homogeneous
Religions: traditionally Buddhist and Confucianist, some Christian and syncretic Chondogyo

Military branches

(조선인민군) Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force; civil security forces.

Military service

18 is presumed to be the legal minimum age for compulsory military service; 16-17 is the presumed legal minimum age for voluntary service.

Military expenditures

Military budget
1.6 billion $
Percent of GDP
4.9

Manpower

Active personnel
1,280,000
Reserve
600,000
Available
6,515,279

Land Forces

Tanks
6,000
AFV
4,000
Artillery
13,000
Self-propelled guns
4,500
Rocket artillery
4,000
Armoured fighting vehicles includes infantry fighting vehicles, tank destroyers, armoured personnel carriers, mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles(MRAP), amphibious and reconnaissance vehicles.
Total artillery includes towed, self-propelled gun(SPG) and rocket artillery.

Tanks

TypeNameNumber
- Ch'ŏnma-ho 1200
- T-62 M 970
- M2020 -

AFVs

TypeNameNumber
- M1992 -
- Model 2009 -
- M-2010 -
- BTR-60PB 1000
- Type 63 APC 500

Self-propelled artillery

TypeNameNumber
- M-1992 -
- Tokchon -
- M-1981 -
- M-2018 -

Rocket artillery

TypeNameNumber
- BMD-20 -
- BM-24 500
- KN-09 10
- RM-70 -

Air Forces

Total aircraft
960
Fighters
349
Multirole
35
Attack
188
Helicopters
202
UCAV (combat drone)
0
Total aircraft - number of all military aircraft and helicopters in country. Includes training and cargo aircraft. Does not include drones.
Attack includes ground-attack and strategic bomber aircraft.

Fighter aircraft

TypeNameNumber
- Shenyang J-6 97
- Shenyang F-5 106

Multirole aircraft

TypeNameNumber

Attack and bomber aircraft

TypeNameNumber
- Ilyushin Il-28 80
- Sukhoi Su-7 18

Helicopters

TypeNameNumber
- Mil Mi-26 4
- Mil Mi-14 8
- Mil Mi-8 41
- PZL Mi-2 47
- MD 500 84

UCAV (combat drone)

TypeNameNumber
- -

Navy

Total naval
967
Aircraftcarriers
0
Destroyers
0
Frigates
2
Corvettes
8
Submarines
72
Total naval - number of all military ships in country. Includes auxiliaries.
Aircraft carriers includes helicopter carriers. Destroyers includes Battlecruisers and Cruisers.

Aircraftcarriers

TypeNameNumber
- -

Destroyers

TypeNameNumber
- -

Frigates

TypeNameNumber
- Najin-class 2

Corvettes

TypeNameNumber
- Sariwon-class 4
- Nampo-class 2
- Amnok-class 1
- Fugas-class 1

Submarines

TypeNameNumber
- Sang-O-class 46
- Sinpo/Gorae-class 1
- Yono-class 5
- Type-033 20

Nuclear weapons

Although at the beginning North Korea joined the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, they withdrew from it on January 2003. It was a consequence of the United States accusation. The USA government claimed that North Korea was unofficially funding a program of uranium enrichment. Because of that, they cancelled the 1994 Agreed Framework treaty and cut off the energy assistance. Two years after withdrawing, the officials from North Korea claimed that they own operational nuclear arsenal. In spite of North Koreans assurances, the United States did not believe that North Korea really posses such weapons. As a result, the government of North Korea decided to conduct tests.

There were three tests that North Korea initially conducted. The first one, with the yield of less than a kiloton, took place in 2006. However, to show that this was in fact a nuclear detonation, North Koreans conducted second and third tests, respectable in 2009 and 2013. The maximum power of the blast of the aforementioned tests can be estimated to be up to 40 kilotons. However, a lot of sources claim that yield did not surpass 10-15 kilotons. Noteworthy is also the fact that in 2016, North Korea announced that they have conducted their first hydrogen-bomb test.