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North Korea has one of the largest militaries in the world, but what is life really like for those forced to serve? In this video, we follow Park Jeong, an 18-year-old conscript, through harsh training, strict indoctrination, poor rations, and outdated weapons, revealing the hidden reality of service in the Korean People’s Army.
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Further Reading:
Sang-Hun, Choe. “What to Know About North Korea’s Military Capabilities.” TheNewYorkTimes.com. October 24, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/24/world/asia/north-korea-military-capability.html
“What are North Korea’s Military Capabilities and How Powerful Are They?” Reuters.com. October 25, 2024. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/north-koreas-military-is-one-worlds-largest-how-powerful-is-it-2024-10-25/
“North Korea’s Military Capabilities.” Council on Foreign Relations. June 28, 2022. https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/north-korea-nuclear-weapons-missile-tests-military-capabilities
“North Korean defector: After returning from Russia, North Korean soldiers will join the party or university.” iROZHLAS.cz. March 26, 2025. https://www.irozhlas.cz/zpravy-svet/uprchlik-z-kldr-po-navratu-z-ruska-se-severokorejsti-vojaci-dostanou-do-strany_2503261142_jva
“North Korea Military Power.” Defense Intelligence Agency. 2021. https://www.dia.mil/Portals/110/Documents/News/NKMP.pdf
Jieun, Kim. “North Korean military raises enlistment age limit from 23 to 25.” Radio Free Asia. December 24, 2024. https://www.rfa.org/english/korea/2024/12/24/north-korea-enlistment-age-increase/
“North Korea Military.” North-Korea-Travel.com. https://www.north-korea-travel.com/north-korea-military.html
Tooth, John-Paul. “North Korea’s Military: How Does it Actually Stack Up?” Forcesnews.com. September 5, 2017. https://www.forcesnews.com/news/north-koreas-military-how-does-it-actually-stack
Schroeder, Matt. “North Korean Small Arms and Light Weapons Recognition Guide.” Small Arms Survey. https://www.smallarmssurvey.org/sites/default/files/resources/North-Korean-Small-Arms-and-Light-Weapons_Recognition-Guide_EN.pdf
“Type 88 Assault Rifle.” Guns.fandom.com. https://guns.fandom.com/wiki/Type_88_assault_rifle
Beyer, Oliver. “An overview of camouflage patterns used by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.” Armament Research Services. April 5, 2017. https://armamentresearch.com/an-overview-of-camouflage-patterns-used-by-the-democratic-peoples-republic-of-korea/
Lee, Myungchul “North Korean soldiers face punishment for calling South Korea by its official name.” Radio Free Asia. November 18, 2021. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/hanguk-11182021214931.html
Credit:
Simple History Creator: Daniel Turner (B.A. (Hons) in History, University College London)
Video Directors: Anthony Barrett, Denis Blinov
Script: Robert De Graaf
Script Review: Denis Blinov
Narrator: Chris Kane (https://vocalforge.com)
Artists: ShyShelly, Arya Ahumada Lydisma
Animators: Kuldip Bheda, Krunal, Mani Kumar, Bharghavi
Editor: Alec Urbany, Artem Dobrohodov
Brand Partnerships: Justin St-Laurent
Senior Production Manager: Umar Ijaz
Simple History Channel Manager: James Dowse