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North Korea has the fourth-largest army in the world, at an estimated 1.21 million armed personnel, with about 20% of men aged 17–54 in the regular armed forces. The North Korean Armed Forces have five branches: Ground Force, Naval Force, Air Force, Special Operations Force, and Rocket Force. An estimated 20% of men aged 17–54 in the regular armed forces . In the mid 1990s, Kim Jong-il launched the 'military first' or (선군정치, Son'gun chongch'i) policy to maintain a grip on power, devoting even more resources to the key to his maintain in power-the military. North Korea maintain a single command system: the Chief of the General Staff directly commands and controls ground corps, tanks, light infantry and artillery command, navy command and air command. Kim Jong Un now the supreme commander of the People's Armed Forces and the chairman of the Military Committee in theroy has overall command of the North Korean military apparatus and exercises direct right of military administration and command.
According to military sources, Korean armed forces operates a very large amount of equipment, including 4,060 tanks (the most common is the Russian T-55 model tanks, the most advanced to Russian T-62 ), 2,500 APCs, 17,900 artillery pieces, 11,000 air defence guns ,at least 915 vessels in the Navy (a green water navy, with a fleet for each coast, which cannot support each other 3 frigates and 70 submarines ) and 1,748 aircraft in the Air Force. North Korea operates a large number of MiG-21PFMs, which are the country's most numerous fighter. Except for a few advanced fighters such as the MiG 29, the North's air force is obsolete. North Korea main advantage is its 1.21 million man army, which seriously outnumbers the 28,000 American troops and 520,000 South Korean troops . Artillery from North Korea could destroy much of Seoul even without the North moving any troops with such guns as the M-1978 (KOKSAN) is a 170 mm self-propelled . In the 1980s, Army force structure became increasingly mobile and mechanized .
A Second Korean War
A second Korea War would most likely be a much bloodier affair than the American invasion of Iraq. North Korean soldiers are better trained and devoted to the regime than the Iraqi soldiers of Saddam Hussien. For example, in 1996, the crew of a North Korean submarine that became stranded in South Korea after an infiltration mission, the crew committed suicide rather than be captured. North Koreans have been conditioned from a very young age to accept the words and deeds of the elder and junior Kims to be absolute truth. The greatest meaning in life lies in becoming "bullets and bombs" in defense of Kim Jong-il.North Korean artillery, tanks and military positions could be pinpointed and attacked by the U.S. and South Korean airforce. However, a U.S. and South Korean invasion into North Korea could provoke a nuclear response from North Korea and a military response from China as it did in the first Korean War.
Scenarios for a 2nd Korean War Grim for U.S., South LA Times
Underground military shelter
North Korea is estimated to have enough material to produce up to 9 nuclear weapons, with intermediate-range ballistic missiles to deliver them. The Taepodong-2 is a two-stage ( some are three stage ) intermediate-range ballistic missile as a range of about 2800 miles .North Korea is also capable of producing and employing chemical weapons such as nerve gas, blood agents, and the mustard-gas family of chemical weapons. Not as much attention has been given to biological weapons because of the expense and danger of infection its own population.
After the Korean War ended, the United States introduced brought nuclear weapons to South Korea for use in an uncontainable North Korean invasion. In late 1950s nuclear cannons and nuclear tipped missiles were introduced. Later, atomic demolition mines were brought in to contaminate an area for a limited time .Dropping a nuclear weapon on Pyongyang was considered after the seizure of the USS Pueblo . After the Gulf War and the development of smart bombs led to President Bush ordering the withdrawal of nuclear weapons from South Korea in Sept, 1991. As a result of the threat of nuclear attack, North Korea has built a large number of military facilities underground .
North Korea attacks against South Korea are well known, however North and South Korea have been attacking each other with infiltrators since before the Korea War and after. Thousands of South Korean infiltrators and spies have been killed or executed attacking North Korea. South Korea trained a group of ex-convicts to kill Kim Il Sung . But in 1971 the plot was aborted and the commandoes killed their trainers, fought their way into Seoul and blew themselves up.
North Korean film on the military
According to Bloomberg, North Korea exports $100 million in weapons and missiles each year in violation of United Nations sanctions, according to a UN expert panel’s report that said Iran and Syria may be among countries that received missiles
Kim Il Sung is regarded as having founded the Anti-Japanese People's Guerrilla Army on April 25, 1932 in north Korea. April 25 is Army Day in North Korea, a major holiday. The KPA was actually founded on February 8, 1948. However, in 1978, North Korea established April 25, 1932 as KPA foundation day in recognition of Kim Il Sung’s anti-Japanese guerrilla activities.
North Korean Army flag, with date of founding of Anti-Japanese People's Guerrilla Army
Soldiers of the KPA in the late 1940s
South Korea has the world's sixth largest number of active troops and the world's second-largest number of reserve troops.
As President Obama tries to get N. Korea to resume negotiations over its nuclear weapons program, many are wondering what would happen if these efforts were to fail. David Martin reports
Report on North Korean spies in South Korea
Map of North Koean military districts and location of ground and naval forces
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