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
Faux fur jackets and combat boots fly off shelves as Kim...
Leather jackets and military-style boots are the season's hottest sellers at North Korean markets, with young people emulating the leader's televised wardrobe and vendors...
N. Korea’s spy agency inspects foreign currency traders in China to...
The Reconnaissance Information General Bureau has been auditing officials at medium and large trading companies in Shenyang and Dandong since October, questioning their contacts,...
From fairways to firepower: Inside North Korea’s camouflaged missile program
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit was held on Oct. 31–Nov. 1, in Gyeongju, a city in South Korea's North Gyeongsang province. Just one...
Faux fur jackets and combat boots dominate N. Korea’s winter fashion...
Leather jackets and military-style boots are flying off marketplace shelves as North Koreans emulate Kim Jong Un's televised wardrobe, with vendors celebrating rebounding sales...
Winter warfare preparations expose North Korea’s chronic military supply crisis
North Korea's II Corps has ordered nutritious food for soldiers ahead of winter exercises beginning Dec. 1, but the directive has sparked complaints from...
From Kim dynasty to battlefield martyrs: North Korea’s expanding ‘eternal life’...
North Korea's military is using stories of soldiers who detonated themselves in the Russia-Ukraine war as indoctrination material, telling troops "if you give your...
N. Korean military unit cracks down on soldiers using private barbers
Units of the 25th Brigade of the North Korean border guard based in Hyesan, Ryanggang province, have recently begun cracking down harder on its...
Punggye-ri’s Tunnel No. 3 ready for use, but no signs of...
South Korea’s Defense Intelligence Agency warned in a Nov. 5 closed-door parliamentary audit that North Korea “could carry out a nuclear test within a...
North Korean soldier beaten to death for failing to collect fuel
A North Korean soldier with the Eighth General Bureau, which is thought to be responsible for construction projects, was fatally beaten by his superiors...
Why North Korean soldiers still find love letters hidden among their...
For North Korean young people, a handwritten letter remains the chief means of expressing feelings of passion. Despite the growing adoption of mobile phones...
