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....
North Korea is still hiding deployment of troops to Russia from the people
Despite the considerable international attention on the deployment of North Korean military personnel to Russia, there has been no news at all about it within...
Weapons factory workers receive significant pay rise
North Korea has significantly increased the salaries of workers in munitions factories in an apparent attempt to boost morale and raise production in its lucrative...
Notifications of soldiers killed in action down amid negative public sentiment
Following a surge in notifications of soldiers killed in action in Russia at the end of last year, such notifications appear to have decreased in...
Why did they shout “Glory to Kim Jong-un” in the face of death?
According to recent reports from the U.S., South Korea, and Ukraine, the number of casualties among North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia is somewhere between...
Lessons from North Korean casualties in Kursk
After its deployment to Russia to the front line fighting Ukrainians, the Korean People’s Army suffered a high attrition rate in the first few weeks...
North Koreans argue as to whether dying for the fatherland is the “duty of the military” amid news of soldiers killed in Ukraine war
North Korean residents justify the sacrifice of soldiers deployed to Russia, saying dying for the fatherland is their duty. In some areas of North Korea's...
North Hamgyong parents receive death notices of sons killed in the military… From 8th Corps and 91st Defense Command
Parents in North Korea's North Hamgyong Province are being notified of the deaths of their sons in the military, according to reports. A report in...
Captured soldiers are considered traitors by North Korea
In North Korea today, the youngsters of what is known as the MZ generation hold values that differ from those of older generations. The main...
Exclusive: Documents and personal items found on the body of a North Korean soldier in Kursk Oblast region (1)
HRF’s Korea Desk has been in regular communication with members of the Ukrainian special forces operating in the Kursk Oblast region since December 20. We...
Exclusive: Documents found on the body of a North Korean soldier in Kursk Oblast region (2)
HRF’s Korea Desk has been in regular communication with members of the Ukrainian special forces operating in the Kursk Oblast region since December 20. We...
Civil defense youth submit petitions for deployment to Russia
The news that soldiers are being deployed to Russia has spread across North Korea, prompting a wave of petitions from military-age people in the civil...
Defectors step up to support soldiers deployed to Russia to escape
While news reports confirming that North Korea has dispatched special forces to fight for the Russians in their war against Ukraine have raised international concern,...
Why fight for Russia? Deaths of North Korean officers in Ukraine raises questions about morale
The deaths of six North Korean military officers in the Russian-occupied part of Ukraine, in a Ukrainian missile strike that wounded 20 other soldiers, highlighted...
Slaves in uniform: The secret behind North Korean’s ten-year mandatory military service
Around North Korea in late February, there were grand groundbreaking ceremonies for large-scale housing construction projects and new factories. The showy events kicked off this...
DPRK’s Reorganized Military Automation General Bureau to Manage Integrated Computerized Command Network for Entire Armed Forces
Recently, the North Korean military appears to have promoted the “Command Automation Bureau” under the General Staff to the “Military Automation General Bureau” as a solution to establish and manage an integrated computer system for the entire armed forces in light of the new deployment of strategic units within the military.