Table Of ContentRoutledge Research on Korea
THE NORTH KOREAN ARMY
HISTORY. STRUCTURE. DAILY LIFE
Fvndnr Territskiv
“To understand North Korea you have to appreciate how it became one of
the world’s most militarized countries in the world? Fyodor Tertitskiy pries
open the black box with this authoritative, readable account of the creation
of the North Korean Army from Soviet times to the present, for the first
time detailing how North Korean soldiers - some five percent of the coun
try’s population - are recruited, how they live and their place in the society
as a whole. I learned so much I didn’t know about North Korea.”
Barbara Demick
Author of ‘Nothing to Envy: Ordinary lives in North Korea’
“This rigorously researched analysis will quickly become the standard
work of reference on the North Korean military. Both scholars and prac
titioners will gain from it.”
Steven Metz
Professor, US Army War College
The North Korean Army
This book focuses on the Korean People’s Army (KPA) - the armed forces of
North Korea - covering its history, structural organisation and lives of the
soldiers and officers within its ranks.
Utilising extensive Korean, English, Russian and Chinese language sources,
as well as multiple interviews with people who have served in the KPA, this
book provides an illuminating insight into the experience of KPA personnel.
It presents fascinating and detailed examples of everyday life in the KPA,
such as the systems of discipline and reprimands, the experience of women in
the Army, typical salaries and daily food allowances. The book also succinctly
traces the history of the KPA from its foundation under the guidance of the
Soviet Union and the experiences of the Korean War, through to the current
iteration under Kim Jong-un.
This pioneering work will be of huge interest to students and scholars of
North Korea, the Cold War, Military Studies and Communism.
Fyodor Tertitskiy is Leading Researcher at the Institute for Korean Studies at
Kookmin University, South Korea. He studies North Korean military, social
and political history and is the author of Korean-language books “North
Korea before Kim Il-sŏng” (2018) and “Kim Il-sŏng: a biography” (2022).
Routledge Research on Korea
The Research on Korea series surveys key topics in the study of North and
South Korea (both on the peninsula, and in the diaspora). It is a prestigious
series that is multidisciplinary, covering the social sciences and arts and
humanities. The series seeks to publish best new research from both senior
and junior scholars.
Series Editors: Niki Alsford and Sojin Lim, University of Central
Lancashire, UK.
1 South Korean Popular Culture in the Global Context
Beyond the Fandom
Edited by Sojin Lim
2 The North Korean Army
History, Structure, Daily Life
Fyodor Tertitskiy
The North Korean Army
History, Structure, Daily Life
Fyodor Tertitskiy
g J Routledge
Taylor & Francis Group
LONDON AND NEW YORK
First published 2023
by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon 0X14 4RN
and by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa
business
© 2023 Fyodor Tertitskiy
The right of Fyodor Tertitskiy to be identified as author of this work
has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or
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registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
Every effort has been made to contact copyright-holders. Please
advise the publisher of any errors or omissions, and these will be
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British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Tertitskiy, Fyodor, 1988- author.
Title: The North Korean army : history, structure, daily life / Fyodor
Tertitskiy.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2023. | Series:
Routledge research on Korea [ Includes bibliographical references and
index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2022013735 (print) | LCCN 2022013736 (ebook) | ISBN
9781032147154 (hardback) | ISBN 9781032148236 (paperback) | ISBN
9781003241294(ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Korea (North). Chosŏn Inmin’gun-History. | Korea
(North)-Armed Forces-History.
Classification: LCCUA853.K5T47 2023 (print) | LCC UA853.K5 (ebook) |
DDC 355/.0095193-dc23/eng/20220325
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022013735
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022013736
ISBN: 978-1-032-14715-4 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-14823-6 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-24129-4 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003241294
Typeset in Times New Roman
by SPi Technologies India Pvt Ltd (Straive)
Contents
List of figures x
List of tables xii
Acknowledgements xiii
Introduction 1
The situation with sources 2
A note on Romanisation 3
Notes 4
1 The Army of the Korean War 5
The Japanese legacy 5
The Soviet Union arrives 6
The new leader 7
From paramilitary organisations to an invasion-ready Army 9
Convincing Stalin 15
The Korean War 17
Notes 20
Bibliography 25
2 The post-war KPA 30
From war to peace 30
How the puppet cut its strings 33
Purges and militarisation 34
Preparations for the second Korean War 36
The creation of a totalitarian state 38
Political instructors and another purge 41
Late Kim Il-sŏng age 41
North Korea and the fall of communism 43
Kim Jong-il and his Army 43
Rebellion attempts 45
The People’s Army and the people’s business 46
Kim Jŏng-ŭn and the rotation of generals 46
viii Contents
Conclusion 48
Notes 49
Bibliography 53
3 Structure of the KPA 59
Introduction: In the footsteps of the Soviets 59
The central command and its structure 60
The four central command institutions 70
Ground Force: Hierarchy of units 72
From corps to battalion 73
Secret and elite units 74
The Navy 75
The Air Force 76
Stra tegic Fo rces 77
Special Operation Forces 77
Ranks in the KPA 78
Party organisations in the Army 85
Political officers 88
Military police 92
Conclusion 93
Notes 93
Bibliography 99
4 Daily life of soldiers in the KPA 106
Conscription procedure 106
Boot camp 111
The oath of allegiance 112
Infantry company structure 113
Daily life of soldiers 114
Communication regulations 119
Regionalism and the soldiers 120
Women in the Army 121
Soldiers’ salary 122
Discipline in the Army 123
Narcotics abuse 124
Military tribunals 125
Education about the South 126
Military press 127
Military holidays 129
Visits of the Supreme Commander 130
Contacting home 131
Joining the Party 131
From Army to college 134
Discharge and return to civilian life 134
Notes 137
Bibliography 141
Contents ix
5 Daily life of officers in the KPA 146
Standard officers’ academies 146
Special cadet schools 148
Officer careers 150
Units’ awards 151
Studying abroad 155
Promotion to the elite 156
Notes 157 '
Bibliography 159
Conclusion 162
Appendix A
The seven Marshals of the KPA 165
O Jin-u: A political colossus 166
Ch’oe Gwang: A great survivor 170
Lee Ŭl-sŏl: The uniform and its man 172
Kim Yŏng-ch’un: The saviour of the Kim family 174
Hyŏn Ch’ŏl-hae: Leader’s guard, Leader’s friend,
Leader’s mentor 176
Lee Byŏng-ch’ŏl: The father of the strategic
weaponry programme 176
Pak Chŏng-ch’on: Kim Jŏng-ŭns Marshal 178
Conclusion 179
Notes 179
Bibliography 182
Appendix B
A comparison of the early North Korean and the
contemporary Soviet oaths of allegiance 187
Appendix C
Reprimands and commendations in the KPA (as of 1955) 189
Appendix D
The Ten Regulations on Military Life 193
Appendix E
Membership pledge of the Workers’ Party of Korea for
the KPA personnel (as of 2012) 194
Appendix F
List of interviewees 196
Bibliography 199
Index 221
Figures
1.1 Captain Kim Il-sŏng and other members of the 88th Brigade 8
1.2 Kim Il-sŏng’s first public appearance. 14 October 1945 9
1.3 The first parade of the Korean People’s Army 15
2.1 Number of appearances of the words “Leader” (suryŏng) in
Rodong Shinmun’s captions, 1951-1993 39
2.2 Number of appearances of the words “Kim Il-sŏng” in
Rodong Shinmun’s captions, 1951-1993 40
3.1 Central command institutions of the KPA,
February-September 1948 61
3.2 Central command institutions of the KPA,
September 1948-June 1950 62
3.3 Central command institutions of the KPA,
June-October 1950 63
3.4 Central command institutions of the KPA,
October 1950-July 1953 63
3.5 Central command institutions of the KPA, July 1953-1958 64
3.6 Central command institutions of the KPA, 1958-1972 65
3.7 Central command institutions of the KPA, 1972-1991 66
3.8 Central command institutions of the KPA, 1991-1994 67
3.9 Central command institutions of the KPA, 1994-2011 67
3.10 Central command institutions of the KPA, 2011-2016 68
3.11 Central command institutions of the KPA, 2016-2021 69
3.12 Central command institutions of the KPA, 2021 69
4.1 Photos and documents commemorating the service of a
North Korean soldier in the KPA, including his Certificate of
Joining the Army 107
4.2 A discharge certificate given to North Korean NCOs
(Kim Jŏng-il era) 136
5.1 Various unit awards in the KPA 154
5.2 Flag of O Jung-hŭp’s 7th Regiment 155
