The Korean People’s Army (KPA) is one of the largest standing militaries in the world, consuming a disproportionate share of North Korea’s national resources while serving as the backbone of Kim Jong Un’s political power. Daily NK covers the North Korea military from the ground up — soldier living conditions, morale, discipline, and pay alongside high-level analysis of weapons development, military doctrine, and the KPA’s expanding role abroad, including troop deployments to Russia. Our sources inside North Korea provide reporting on military life that no other outlet can match.
Tag: military
As overseas deployment fears grow, North Korean parents dread conscription season
A large share of this year's senior high school graduates in North Korea have been classified as conscription candidates this spring, sources say, deepening...
Officers’ families in South Hwanghae squeezed by corn levy linked to...
Families of North Korean military officers stationed in South Hwanghae province have been ordered to donate corn by March 30 as part of a...
North Korean military fish farm run as private feeding trough for...
A military seafood production unit in North Hamgyong province is under investigation after a worker filed a formal complaint alleging that base commanders have...
North Koreans unimpressed by missile tests as prices soar
North Koreans expressed frustration this week over a series of missile test launches carried out amid soaring food prices, with many people saying the...
North Korea’s military-civilian solidarity rallies draw public frustration
North Korea held a military-civilian solidarity rally in the city of Hamhung on March 6, but some people in South Hamgyong province say the...
North Korea orders officer unity training after party congress
North Korea's VIII Corps held three-day training sessions for junior officers across its units in early March, ordering them to cultivate closer bonds with...
Kim rewards parade soldiers with special leave
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un rewarded soldiers who marched in the military parade at the Ninth Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea...
Timing is everything: North Korea’s winter soldiers feel lucky in February
North Korean soldiers undergoing the final month of the country's annual winter military exercises in February 2025 are expressing relief and excitement, saying they...
North Korean parents pursue fake divorces to keep sons out of...
As enlistment season approaches for North Korean high school graduates in early 2025, parents in South Hamgyong province are pursuing sham divorces to exempt...
Elite Pyongyang defense unit hit with secrets scandal
North Korea's 91st Capital Defense Corps, known as Training Camp 91, is facing fresh scrutiny after a defense ministry inspection found widespread failures to...
