Rare photos show life inside North Korea’s top-secret military

A North Korean woman and soldiers look at a Chinese tour boat from the banks of the Yalu River near the North Korean town of Sinuiju, opposite the Chinese border city of Dandong.

REUTERS/Jason Lee

North Korea’s military, the fourth-largest in the world, remains shrouded in mystery.
Both men and women are required to serve in the military in North Korea.
Kim Jong Un, the supreme leader of North Korea, has no formal military experience.

Little is known about life inside the “hermit kingdom” of North Korea.

Even less is known about the country’s military, the fourth-largest in the world behind China, India, and the United States, based on the number of active personnel.

It remains extremely difficult to get past the border, but photos can provide a glimpse into the insular, militarized country.

Rare photos of North Korea’s military reveal a snapshot of life as a soldier in North Korea.

North Korea and South Korea split after the Korean War, which began in 1950 when 75,000 soldiers from the North crossed the border and invaded the South.

North-Korean and Chinese troops celebrate their shared victory during the Korean War — NORTH KOREA – JANUARY 01: North-Korean and Chinese troops celebrate their shared victory in South Korea after having driven back an attack of American forces in June 1950. In the foreground, women soldiers express their joy. This scene took place around June 25, 1950, when North Korea crossed the 38th parallel and invaded South Korea.

Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images

The war ended in 1953 with an armistice dividing the country along the 38th parallel, with the Soviet Union supporting the North and the US supporting the South.

Kim Il Sung signs the Korean Armistice Agreement. — Marshal Kim Il Sung signing the Korean Armistice Agreement and the Temporary Agreement Supplementary to the Armistice Agreement at 10pm on July 27, 1953. Also pictured are (l to r); Kim Du Bong, President of the Standing Committee of the Korean Supreme People’s Assembly; General Nam Il; and Bak Cheng Ai, Secretary of the Central Committee of the Korean Nodong Dang.

Sovfoto/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

The Korean Armistice Agreement also established a Demilitarized Zone on the border, which remains one of the most heavily guarded borders in the world.

demilitarized zone korea — South Korean, right, and North Korean army soldiers stand guard at the border village of Panmunjom in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas.

Ahn Young-joon/AP

The Soviet Union put Kim Il Sung in charge of North Korea, which became known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

His son, Kim Jong Il, took over after his death in 1994.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il meets with Korean People's Army personnel. — North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il meets with Korean People’s Army personnel in September 1988 file photo. Kim Jong-Il was re-elected as head of the country’s powerful National Defense Committee, Pyongyang Radio said 05 September, as CNN reported the title of president had been abolished.

AFP via Getty Images

Kim Jong Un then took over as the ruler of the country in December 2011 when his father died of a heart attack.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gestures at soldiers during a military demonstration — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gestures as he guides a military demonstration involving tank units in North Korea.

KCNA via Reuters

Despite being in charge of the fourth-largest military in the world, Un has no formal military experience.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un peers through a pair of binoculars during a military demonstration in North Korea.

KCNA via Reuters

North Korea’s military is called the “Korean People’s Army,” or the KPA.

Senior North Korean military officers follow the performance celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, in Pyongyang.

Damir Sagolj/Reuters

The North Korean military is composed of more than 1.3 million active soldiers, according to the CIA World Factbook.

A North Korean military parade.

KCNA/Reuters

There are another 7 million paramilitary, reserve, and bodyguard command personnel.

North Korean military — North Korean soldiers salute from atop tanks during a military parade in Pyongyang.

Petar Kujundzic/Reuters

Most people serve in the military after completing high school.

North Korean military soldiers assembled at an official event. — Soldiers shout slogans under the stands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and other officials.

Damir Sagolj/Reuters

Men serve for up to 13 years and women for up to seven, according to the CIA World Factbook.

North Korean soldiers do push-ups at the banks of the Yalu River, at the North Korean town of Sinuiju.

Stringer/Reuters

Before 2015, women served purely on a voluntary basis.

In 2015, it became mandatory for all women to serve in the military.

A North Korean soldier guards an army installation near the Chinese border. — A North Korean soldier guards an army installation on the banks of the Yalu River at the North Korean town of Sinuiju, opposite the Chinese border city of Dandong.

Reinhard Krause/Reuters

Those who go to college serve for five years after completing their degree, a defector told NK News.

Korean People's Army (KPA) soldiers hold flowers as they pay their respects before a statue of late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. — In a photo taken on December 17, 2019 Korean People’s Army (KPA) soldiers hold flowers as they pay their respects before a statue of late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, on the anniversary of his death, at Mansu Hill in Pyongyang.

KIM WON JIN/AFP via Getty Images

Kim Jong Un established a policy in 2015 allowing those who study science to serve for only three years.

While data from North Korea remains unreliable, its defense industry employs an estimated 2 million workers, 38 North reported in 2023.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un poses with soldiers as he inspects a tank unit of the Korean People’s Army, in this handout picture obtained by Reuters on March 25, 2024.

KCNA via Reuters

Most motor vehicles are owned by military or government officials, Daily NK reported. Restrictions on car ownership mean it’s rare for private citizens to own them.

Soldiers in the military have reportedly faced malnutrition and hunger because of a lack of food availability and rigorous training, NK News reported.

North Korean soldier herds goats — A North Korean soldier kicks a goat on the banks of the Yalu River near the North Korean town of Sinuiju.

Jacky Chen/Reuters

KPA’s Air Force is its second-largest branch with around 110,000 members.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits Korean People's Army Air Force headquarters — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits Korean People’s Army Air Force headquarters on the occasion of Aviation Day in North Korea, in this picture released by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on December 1, 2023.

KCNA via Reuters

The US Department of Defense reports that North Korea’s Air Force has somewhere between 500 and 900 aircraft, though most are outdated vessels from the 1990s.

North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un watches planes during a flypast at the Defense Development Exhibition, in Pyongyang, North Korea — North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un watches planes during a flypast at the Defence Development Exhibition, in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this undated photo released on October 12, 2021 by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency

KCNA via Reuters

Per a 2021 US Defense Intelligence Agency report, the North Korean military has 260 amphibious landing craft in its naval force.

Landing and anti-landing exercises being carried out by the Korean People's Army at an unknown location. — Landing and anti-landing exercises being carried out by the Korean People’s Army at an unknown location.

KCNA/Reuters

In 2023, North Korea held a launch ceremony for a reworked Cold War-era submarine with missile capabilities, though it’s unclear if the sub is operational.

North Korea submarine — North Korea’s new “tactical nuclear attack submarine” at its launch ceremony in early September 2023.

KCNA via REUTERS

The North Korean missile program began development in the late 1960s.

North Korea military — A North Korean soldier salutes next to a missile.

Damir Sagolj/Reuters

The full scope of North Korea’s ballistic missile capabilities is unclear, but the military is believed to be in possession of long-, medium-, and short-range missiles.

Kim Jong-un attends a test launch of a missile. — North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attends a test launch of a possible new mid- to long-range solid-fuel hypersonic missile, at an unknown location in North Korea, April 2, 2024, in this picture released on April 3, 2024, by the Korean Central News Agency.

KCNA via Reuters

In 2021, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists estimated that North Korea could possess enough fissile material to produce 40 to 50 nuclear weapons.

Kim Jong Un inspects nuclear warheads. — A screen grab shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspecting nuclear warheads at an undisclosed location in this undated still image used in a video.

KRT/via Reuters TV/Handout via REUTERS

Nuclear tests were conducted within the country in 2006, 2009, 2013, 2016, and 2017.

A rally celebrating the success of a recent nuclear test is held in Kim Il Sung square in this undated photo released by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang September 13, 2016.

KCNA/Reuters

In 2017, Un attended a celebration held in honor of the nuclear scientists and engineers who contributed to a hydrogen bomb test.

Kim Jong Un reacts during a celebration for nuclear scientists and engineers who contributed to a hydrogen bomb test, in this undated photo released by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang on September 10, 2017.

KCNA via Reuters

North Korea’s military also has a band that performs at official functions known as the Central Military Band of the Korean People’s Army.

The Ensemble of Korean People's Army of North Korea performs on the Russia's Army Theatre's stage during the — The Ensemble of Korean People’s Army of North Korea performs on the Russia’s Army Theatre’s stage during the “Spasskaya Tower” international military music festival in Moscow on August 26, 2019.

ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images

Despite being one of the largest armies in the world, North Korea’s military remains shrouded in mystery.

North Korean military performs a night drill of ground artillery sub-units. — A night drill of ground artillery sub-units.

KCNA/Reuters.

Editor’s note: This story was originally published in May 2016. It was updated in October 2025.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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