North Korea often shows off its military might, but how strong is Kim Jong-un’s army really?
North Korea has convinced itself that it must further improve deterrence against nuclear war and is prepared to increase the production of nuclear weapons to do so. The goal is to create ever more powerful weapons so as to increase the sense of defense that deterrence, in the broad sense, confers. How strong is the army available to Kim Jong-un? According to the PowerIndex ("PwrIndx"), which establishes the ranking of global military powers through known information, North Korea is in 34th place.
However, the power of the North Korean army is destined to grow due to the will of the leader himself. Kim Jong-un has in fact declared that North Korea must prepare to use its nuclear weapons "anywhere and always". This is why it is moving towards the long-term development of a production of military nuclear material to exponentially increase nuclear arsenals. The statements emerge directly from the dispute between North Korea and South Korea, in an anti-American key.
The tension between the United States and Asian military powers thus continues to grow. Kim Jong-un plays a key role with his statements that could lead to a violent escalation. North Korea wants to be feared and suffers from confrontation with South Korea, which instead appears to be in sixth place in the global ranking of the strongest armies, immediately below the United Kingdom, India, China, Russia and the United States.
Armies face off along the 38th parallel: Seoul vs Pyongyang
According to the PowerIndex, updated to March 23, 2023, North Korea holds a score of 0.5118 (a score of 0.0000 is considered perfect). Also in light of its 34th position, North Korea’s military is considered among the largest in the world. The number of soldiers in fact plays a good part in the ranking and with its 950 thousand men, out of a total of over 1 million Armed Forces, it is considered among the largest. If we add to these the 7 million men and women in the Military Reserve Training Unit, in the Peasants’ and Workers’ Militia and other minor paramilitary bodies, and still the Militia dedicated to civil defense (equal to 4 million units), the extent of the numbers at stake becomes evident.
On the contrary, the army of South Korea has about 560,000 units, with a reserve of 2.7 million men and a base of 13 million possible recruits.
The weapons available to North Korea: towards more nuclear weapons
North Korea has around 13,000 artillery pieces and rocket launch systems of all kinds. As Inside Over points out, Pyongyang’s list of weapons is long and powerful, but most of this is located in the so-called "demilitarized zone".
The most controversial aspect is the possession by Kim Jong-un of a large arsenal of ballistic missiles, even up to the intercontinental ones. In addition to nuclear weapons, North Korea also has a large assortment of chemical weapons. Furthermore, it is not at all shy in using these weapons and frequently carries out tests and exercises that reach the limit of provocation with neighboring countries.
Original article published on Money.it Italy 2023-05-02 21:32:13. Original title: Quanto è forte la Corea del Nord: esercito e armi a disposizione di Kim Jong-un
