Korean People's Army
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The People's Democratic Republic (North Korea) is technically still at war with the United States of America and according to western estimates now has the fourth-largest military in the world. The North has an estimated 1.08 million armed personnel, compared to about 672,000 ROK troops (and 3.5 million paramilitary forces) plus 32,500 US troops in South Korea and a total of 1,427,000 US active troops. Military spending is estimated at 20%-25% of GNP (which would mean that the DPRK spends the largest proportion of its GNP on its military in the world), with about 20% of men ages 17-54 in the regular armed forces. DPRK forces are thought to have a substantial numerical advantage over the South (approximately 2 or 3 to 1) in several key categories of offensive weapons--tanks, long-range artillery, and armored personnel carriers, while South Korea is under protection of the sole remaining superpower, the United States.
The North has perhaps the world's second-largest special operations force (55,000), designed for insertion behind enemy lines in wartime. While the North has a relatively impressive fleet of submarines, its surface fleet has a very limited capability. Its air force has twice the number of aircraft as the South, but, except for a few advanced fighters, the North's air force is obsolete. The North--like the South--deploys the bulk of its forces well forward, within 100 miles of the Korean DMZ, to include 700,000 troops, 8,000 artillery systems, and 2,000 tanks. Several North Korean military tunnels under the DMZ were discovered in the 1970s.
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History
In 1953, the Military Armistice Commission (MAC) was created to oversee and enforce the terms of the armistice. The Neutral Nation Supervisory Committee (NNSC)--originally made up of delegations from Poland and Czechoslovakia on the D.P.R.K.-Chinese People's Volunteers side and Sweden and Switzerland on the United Nations side--monitors the activities of the MAC.
The United States government has consistently refused to sign a peace treaty with the DPRK and reserve the option to attack North Korea.
In recent years, North Korea has sought to dismantle the MAC in a push for a new peace mechanism on the peninsula. In April 1994, it declared the MAC void and withdrew its representatives. Prior to this, it had effectively ended the functions of the NNSC.
Also over the last several years, the DPRK has allegedly moved even more of its rear-echelon troops to hardened bunkers closer to the DMZ. Given the proximity of Seoul to the DMZ (some 25 miles), South Korean and United States forces are likely to have little warning of any attack. The United States and South Korea continue to state that the U.S. troop presence remains an effective deterrent.
Military branches
- Korean People's Army
- Ground Force
- Naval Force - 46 ships (only 6 work)
- Air Force
- Civil Security Forces
Military manpower
Military manpower - military age:
- 17 years of age (2005 est.)
Military manpower - availability:
males age 17-49:
- 5,851,801 (2005 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 17-49:
- 4,810,831 (2005 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males:
- 194,605 (2005 est.)
Active troops
- 1,022,000 (Ranked 4th)
Military expenditures
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
- $5.2174 billion (FY02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
- 22.9% (2003 est.)
See also
- Korean Demilitarized Zone
- List of Korea-related topics
- North Korea
- North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
- Nodong-1
External links and references
- CIA World Factbook (http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/kn.html)
- Global Security (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/dprk)de:Koreanische Volksarmee