Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North)
GNP 1991e: won 49.2bn ($22.90bn)
1992e: won 45.9bn ($21.l0bn)
Growth 1991e: -5.2% 1992e: -6.7%
Inflation 1991e: 2% 1992e: 3%
Debt 1991: $9.28bn 1992: $9.72bn
Def exp 1992: won 11.80bn ($5.54bn)
Def bdgt 1992: won 4.48bn ($2.O6bn)
1993e: won 4.70bn ($2.19bn)
$1 = won 1989: 2.23 1990: 2.14
1991: 2.15 1992: 2.13
Population: 22,728,000
13-17 18-22 23-32
Men 1,057,000 1,265,000 2,408,000
Women 1,035,000 1,242,000 2,374,000
Total Armed Forces
ACTIVE: 1,127,000.
Terms of service: Army 5-8 years; Navy 5-10 years; Air Force 3-4 years,
followed by compulsory part-time service in the Pacification Corps to
age 40. Thereafter service in the Worker/Peasant Red Guard to age 60.
RESERVES: Army 500,000, Navy 40,000. Mob claimed in 12 hours; up to
6,000,000 have some Reserve/Militia commitment. See Paramilitary.
Army
Manpower 1,000,000.
16 Corps (1 armd, 4 mech, 8 inf, 1 arty, 1 capital defence, 1 Special Purpose).
26 inf/mot inf div.
l4 armd bde.
23 mot/mech inf bde.
5 indep inf bde.
Special Purpose Corps: 3 cdo, 4 recce, 1 river crossing regt, 3 amph,
3 AB bn, 22 lt inf bn. `Bureau of Reconnaissance SF' (8 bn).
Artillery:
Army tps: 8 heavy arty bde (incl MRL), 1 indep Scud SSM regt.
Corps tps: 14 bde incl 122mm, 152mm SP, MRL.
RESERVE: Pacification Corps: some l.2m. 23 inf div,6 inf bde.
EQUIPMENT:
MBT: some 3,700: T-34, T-54/-55, T-62, Type-59.
LIGHT TANKS: 500 PT-76, M-1985.
APC: 2,500 BTR-40/-50/-60/-152, Ch Type-531, N. Korean
Type M-1973.
TOWED ARTY: 2,300: 122mm: M-1931/-37, D-74, D-30; 130mm: M-46;
152mm: M-1937 M-1938, M-1943.
SP ARTY: Some 4,500: 122mm: M-1977, M-1981, M-1985; 130mm: M-1975;
152mm: M-1974, M-1977; 170mm: M-1978, M-1989.
MRL: 2,280: 107mm: Type-63; 122mm: BM-21, BM-11; 240mm: M-1989.
MORTARS: 9,000: 82mm: M-37; 120mm: M-43; 160mm: M-43.
SSM: 54 FROG-3/-5/-7; some 30 Scud B/-C (Korean improved).
ATGW: AT-1 Snapper, AT-3 Sagger.
RCL: 82mm: 1,500 B-10.
AD GUNS: 8,800: 14.5mm: ZPU-1/-2/-4 SP, M-1983 SP; 23mm: ZU-23,
ZSU-23-4 SP; 37mm: M-1939; 57mm: S-60; 85mm: KS-l2;
100mm: KS-l9.
SAM: 10,000 SA-7/-16.
Navy
Manpower 45,000.
BASES:
East Coast: Toejo (HQ), Changjon, Munchon, Songjon-pardo,
Mugye-po, Mayang-do, Chaho Nodongjagu, Puam-Dong, Najin.
West Coast: Nampo (HQ), Pipa Got, Sagon-ni, Chodo-ri, Koampo, Tas-ri.
2 Fleet HQ.
FLEET:
SUBMARINES: 25: 21 Ch Type-031/Sov Romeo with 533mm TT.
4 Sov Whiskey with 533mm and 406mm TT. (Plus
some 50 midget submarines mainly used for SF ops,
but some with 2 x TT).
FRIGATES: 3: 1 Soho with 4 x ASW RL, plus 4 x SS-N-2 Styx SSM,
1 x l00mm gun and hel deck. 2 Najin with 2 x 5 ASW RL,
plus 2 SS-N-2 Styx SSM, 2 x 100mm guns.
PATROL AND COASTAL COMBATANTS: 387:
CORVETTES: 3 Sariwon with l x 100mm gun.
MISSILE CRAFT: 45: 14 Soju, 8 Sov Osa, 4 Ch Huangfeng PFM
with 4 x SS-N-2 Styx. 9 Sohung, 10 Sov Komar
PFM with 2 x SS-N-2.
TORPEDO CRAFT: 173: 3 Sov Shershen with 4 x 533mm TT.
Some 170 with 2 x 533mm TT.
PATROL: 166:
COASTAL: 18 PFC: 6 Hainan with 4 x ASW RL,
12 Taechong with 2 x ASW RL.
INSHORE: some 148: 13 S0-1, 12 Shanghai II,3 Chodo, some 120.
MINE WARFARE: About 23 MSI<.
AMPHIBIOUS: craft only; 24 LCM, 7 LCU, about 100 Nampo LCVP, plus
about 100 hovercraft.
SUPPORT AND MISCELLANEOUS: 7: 2 ocean tugs, 1 AS, 1 ocean and 3 inshore survey.
COAST DEFENCE:
SSM: 2 regt: Silkworm in 6 sites;
GUNS: 122mm: M-1931/-37; 130mm: SM-4-1; 152mm: M-1937.
Air Force
Manpower 82,000
Total Aircraft 730 combat aircraft; 50 armed hel.
BOMBERS: 3 It regt with 80 H-5.
FGA: 7 regt:
3 with 160 J-5 (MiG-17);
2 with 120 J-6 (MiG-19);
1 with 40 Q-5 (Fantan);
1 with 14 Su-7, 36 Su-25.
FIGHTER: 10 regt:
2 with 80 J-5 (MiG-17);
2 with 60 J-6 (MiG-19);
1 with 40 J-7 (MiG-21);
3 with 120 MiG-21;
1 with 46 MiG-23;
1 with 14 MiG-29.
ATTACK HELICOPTERS: 50 Mi-24.
TRANSPORT:
AIRCRAFT: 162 An-2, 6 An-24, 5 Il-14, 2 Il-18, 4 Il-62M, 2 Tu-134,
4 Tu-154, 120 Y-5.
HELICOPTERS: 1 Hughes 300C, 80 -500D, 6 -500E, 140 Mi-2, 15 Mi-8/-17,
48 Z-5.
TRAINING: incl 10 CJ-5, 170 CJ-6.
MISSILES:
AAM: AA-2 Atoll, AA-7 Apex.
SAM: 240 SA-2, 36 SA-3, 24 SA-5.
Forces Abroad
Advisers in some 12 African countries.
Paramilitary Forces
SECURITY TROOPS (Ministry of Public Security): 115,000, incl Border guards.
WORKER/PEASANT RED GUARD: some 3.8m. Org on a provincial/town/village basis.
Comd structure is bde - bn - coy - pl. Small arms with some mor
and AD guns (but many units unarmed).