“I defended the fatherland, but it did not defend me.”
Youth is not a time for making choices for North Koreans. Rather, it is a period of obligation to the state, a time when personal...
The hidden secret of winter military training… Supply burden on officers’ families
This month, winter descends on the peninsula bringing freezing temperatures and biting winds. For North Korean soldiers, this means the start of winter training. The...
Air Force marks 80th anniversary… Kim stresses airspace sovereignty and nuclear deterrence
Kim Jong-un attended an event on November 28 marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of the North Korean Air Force and highlighted its new...
Russian military chief visits Pyongyang to discuss ideological management of North Korean troops
A series of meetings last week in Pyongyang between Russian and North Korean officials responsible for political-ideological affairs indicates an intensified focus on ideological loyalty...
Memorial for fallen troops in Russia war erected in Pyongyang
One year after dispatching troops to support Russia in the war with Ukraine, North Korea is constructing a memorial in Pyongyang to honor the dead. ...
Food warehouse robbed on military base… Inside job suspected
A recent case of theft at a military warehouse has prompted investigators to suspect the military was itself involved. According to sources contacted in North...
The Indo-Pacific 80 years on from the nuclear bombs on Japan
August 6 and 9 this year mark the 80th anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki...
Veterans to receive gift packages to mark “Victory Day” on July 27
The North Korean regime is to provide gifts to war veterans in commemoration of the 72nd anniversary of the signing of the Korean War armistice...
Soldiers killed in Russia honored as ‘Hero of the Republic’… Families relocated to Pyongyang
North Korea has reportedly awarded its highest honor, the “Hero of the Republic,” to several soldiers who died in combat in the Russian war with...
The race for long-range missiles between Japan and North Korea
Eastern Asia is witnessing a military buildup not seen since the aftermath of WWII. North Korea is becoming an ever greater rogue regime, with increasing...
What fate awaits North Korean soldiers returning from the war with Ukraine?
When North Korea broke its silence and acknowledged back on April 28 that its troops were fighting for Russia in the war with Ukraine, media...
What’s behind mandatory military service for women?
Growing up, my mother always said, “Don’t wait for a man who went to the army.” She was patient for ten years before my father...
State Security Ministry is now monitoring and restricting military counterintelligence agents—What’s going on?
The State Security Ministry (SSM) is reportedly monitoring and restraining even the activities of military counterintelligence agents from the Defense Security Bureau (Security Command) in...
North prepares for additional troop deployment to Russia… Aims to mass-produce combat-hardened fighters
North Korea is reportedly preparing an additional troop deployment to the Russian front in the war with Ukraine. The goal appears to be to mass-produce...
Troops baffled by ‘Drill-through-the-Earth’ propaganda push
Soldiers mobilized to rebuild housing in areas impacted by floods are being urged to adopt a “drill-through-the-earth mentality” as part of a propaganda devotion drive...
Changing loyalties in the North Korean military
Ideological education emphasizes sacrifice for the Leader and the Motherland. (Astrelok / Courtesy of Shutterstock) What is the meaning and purpose of the armed forces?...
Changing preferences for military service, Strategic Force Command is the most popular
With authorities intensively conducting its spring draft through the first ten days of March, it emerges that the most preferred units for young people this...
Students and women mobilized for large-scale military exercises
North Korea last week began nationwide military drills involving various army units, along with civil defense forces, Worker-Peasant Red Guards, and the Red Youth Guards....