Asia: Armed Forces Of North Korea V1

A look at North Korea’s secretive military detailing itsunique weaponry, doctrines, and modernization efforts. Modernity has lifted theobsessive veil of secrecy in military innovation in all but one country: NorthKorea. With both its past and present a mystery, there exists little reliableinformation on one of the most exotic armed forces in the world today.

Having essentially run aground its entire economy for thetwin purposes of Juche (self-reliance) and Songun (military first), the DPRKtoday fields a uniquely diverse inventory of indigenous weaponry, and adheresto a military doctrine unlike any other. This highly unconventional situationis simultaneously one of the most precarious in the world, with the possibilityof conflict ever looming on the horizon.

To many, North Korea has become synonymous with the threatof nuclear war, having seen ballistic missiles soar and the ground trembleunder a succession of escalating strategic weapons tests. The internationalfocus on this topic has resulted in an imbalance of information, where itsequally significant and numerically vast conventional forces are typicallyignored.

More than just posing a threat in its immense proportionshowever, the KPA remains a force to be reckoned with due to a continuing drivefor modernization, that though struggling under the pressure of a defuncteconomy appears to be serious in scope and realism. Any assessment of itsabilities that omits such developments is invariably inaccurate, and withliterature sparse and available sources often disseminating misinformation morethan anything else, there is no definitive framework for placing new informationabout the KPAs ground forces in its proper context.

This book aims to provide precisely such a framework bysetting out its history in detail and mapping pretty much all there is to knowabout the DPRKs current military endeavors. This comprehensive information isaccompanied by well over 150 unique images, most of which have never been seenby the general public. Furthermore, sixteen gorgeous artworks provide a betterlook at those armaments that have managed to evade getting caught on camera, orthat deserve being highlighted in perfect detail.

Subsequently published volumes will complete a small serieson North Koreas elusive military, giving both the casual reader as well asthose with a professional interest a complete overview of even the mostsecretive aspects of a military that is unlike any other.

About the Author

Joost Oliemans is an author, analyst, and blogger focusingon the Middle East, North Africa and Asia. Together with Stijn Mitzer, he isthe author of Oryx Blog. Joost Oliemans also writes for various news agenciesand websites about military-related matters.