The Armed Forces Of North Korea

The first unclassified account of the armed forces of one of the most isolated and unpredictable nations in Asia - North Korea.

This book seeks to bring order and coherence to the chaotic state of affairs in the intelligence community of North Korea-watchers, as well as to disprove the much-echoed stance that there is little to fear from the DPRK by providing information on a plethora of never-before described weapons systems and modernization programs.

Modernity has lifted the obsessive veil of secrecy in military innovation in all but one country: North Korea. With both its past and present a mystery, there exists little reliable information on one of the most exotic armed forces in the world today. Having essentially run aground its entire economy for the twin purposes of Juche (self-reliance) and Songun (military first), the DPRK today fields a uniquely diverse inventory of indigenous weaponry, and adheres to a military doctrine unlike any other. This highly unconventional situation is simultaneously one of the most precarious in the world, with the possibility of conflict ever looming on the horizon. To many, North Korea has become synonymous with the threat of nuclear war, having seen ballistic missiles soar and the ground tremble under a succession of escalating strategic weapons tests. The international focus on this topic has resulted in an imbalance of information, where its equally significant and numerically vast conventional forces are typically ignored. More than just posing a threat in its immense proportions however, the KPA remains a force to reckoned with due to a continuing drive for modernization, that though struggling under the pressure of a defunct economy appears to be serious in scope and realism. Any assessment of its abilities that omits such developments is invariably inaccurate, and with literature sparse and available sources often disseminating misinformation more than anything else, there is no definitive framework for placing new information about the KPA's ground forces in its proper context. This book aims to provide precisely such a framework by setting out its history in detail and mapping pretty much all there is to know about the DPRK's current military endeavors. This comprehensive information is accompanied by well over 150 unique images, most of which have never been seen by the general public. Furthermore, sixteen gorgeous artworks provide a better look at those armaments that have managed to evade getting caught on camera, or that deserve being highlighted in perfect detail. Subsequently published volumes will complete a small series on North Korea's elusive military, giving both the casual reader as well as those with a professional interest a complete overview of even the most secretive aspects of a military that is unlike any other.

North Korea is a country of paradoxes and contradictions. Although it remains an economic basket case that cannot feed and clothe its own people, it nevertheless possesses one of the world's largest armed forces. This book provides the facts regarding the true force of North Korean Army and gives an assessment of its capability to harm the United States._x000D_ North Korea's Military Threat_x000D_ Conventional Forces_x000D_ Unconventional Forces_x000D_ Overall Conclusions_x000D_ The North Korean Ballistic Missile Program_x000D_ DPRK National Strategy and Motivations_x000D_ Historical Background of DPRK Missile Development_x000D_ Institutional Setting_x000D_ Conclusion_x000D_ U.S. Government Policy Toward North Korea_x000D_ Countering the North Korean Threat (New Steps in U.S. Policy)_x000D_ Pressuring North Korea (Evaluating Options)_x000D_ President Donald Trump on Current Crisis on the Korean Peninsula_x000D_ A Message to the Congress of the United States on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to North Korea_x000D_ Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to North Korea_x000D_ Statement from the President on North Korea's Second ICBM Launch_x000D_ Statement by President Donald J. Trump on North Korea_x000D_ About the Authors

This book focuses on the Korean People’s Army (KPA) - the armed forces of North Korea - covering its history, structural organisation and lives of the soldiers and officers within its ranks. Utilising extensive Korean, English, Russian and Chinese language sources, as well as multiple interviews with people who have served in the KPA, this book provides an illuminating insight into the experience of KPA personnel. It presents fascinating and detailed examples of everyday life in the KPA, such as the systems of discipline and reprimands, the experience of women in the army, typical salaries and daily food allowances. The book also succinctly traces the history of the KPA from its foundation under the guidance of the Soviet Union and the experiences of the Korean War, through to the current iteration under Kim Jong-un. This pioneering work will be of huge interest to students and scholars of North Korea, the Cold War, Military Studies and Communism.

North Korea is a country of paradoxes and contradictions. Although it remains an economic basket case that cannot feed and clothe its own people, it nevertheless possesses one of the world's largest armed forces. Whether measured in terms of the total number of personnel in uniform, numbers of special operations soldiers, the size of its submarine fleet, quantity of ballistic missiles in its arsenal, or its substantial weapons of mass destruction programs, Pyongyang is a major military power. Content: North Korea's Military Threat Conventional Forces Unconventional Forces Overall Conclusions The North Korean Ballistic Missile Program DPRK National Strategy and Motivations Historical Background of DPRK Missile Development Institutional Setting Conclusion U.S. Government Policy Toward North Korea Countering the North Korean Threat (New Steps in U.S. Policy) Pressuring North Korea (Evaluating Options) President Donald Trump on Current Crisis on the Korean Peninsula A Message to the Congress of the United States on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to North Korea Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to North Korea Statement from the President on North Korea's Second ICBM Launch Statement by President Donald J. Trump on North Korea About the Authors