North Korean Military Capabilities & Strategy - Nukes, Numbers & (bad) Economics

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (AKA North Korea) is perhaps the strangest military power we’ve ever had a detailed look at on this channel from a defence economic perspective. It’s a nation of extremes - building nuclear weapons and ICBMs while requiring food aid, and fielding one of the world’s largest active duty militaries with a population not that different from the likes of Australia. With the recent signing of a partnership agreement between Pyongyang and Moscow, I thought it was finally time for a more detailed look at the DPRK and the Korean People’s army. Be aware, this is going to be a slightly weird one. Patreon: Reading and Sourcing (abridged due to delayed releasee): Unless otherwise noted, platform and personnel estimates are per MB2022 for consistency with other episodes. US Defense Intelligence Agency - North Korean Military Power 2021 Foreign Language Publishing House (North Korea), Kim Jong Il Biography ATP 7-100.2 NORTH KOREAN TACTICS 2020 The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists - North Korean Nuclear Weapons 2024 Kim Jong Il - The Songun-based revolutionary line is a great revolutionary line of our era and an ever-victorious banner of our revolution - Talk to the Senior Officials of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea (2003) Featured articles or images Caveats & Comments: All normal caveats and comments apply. In particular – I would like to note as always that this material has been created for entertainment purposes and is not intended to be a complete or comprehensive examination of the topic in question and should not be relied upon to inform financial or other similar decisions. Timestamps: 00:00:00 — Opening Words 00:01:05 — What Am I Talking About? 00:01:43 — The Great Unknowns 00:02:35 — History 00:07:21 — Lesson - The Songun Paradox 00:16:48 — Defining Objectives 00:27:55 — The KPA 00:47:48 — The Air Force 00:53:32 — Naval Component 00:57:31 — Nuclear Program 01:06:07 — The Russia Connection 01:09:25 — Channel Update