North Korea’s military has come under the spotlight after the United States joined South Korea and Ukraine this week in accusing Pyongyang of sending thousands of troops to Russia, potentially to train them to fight in the war in Ukraine.

Here are some facts and estimates about what is known about the Korean People’s Army (KPA) and other elements of the North’s military:

HOW MANY TROOPS DOES NORTH KOREA HAVE?

The KPA, with about 1.3 million active personnel, is one of the largest militaries in the world, behind much larger countries such as China and the United States.

According to data from the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), a think-tank, North Korea also has about 600,000 reservists and 5.7 million Red Guard Workers/Peasants reservists, among many unarmed units.

The KPA is divided into the army, air force, navy and strategic forces, which are armed with ballistic missiles that can be equipped with nuclear warheads.

North Korea is one of the most militarized societies in the world, and all males between the ages of 17 and 30 must enlist for military service that lasts between 3 and 12 years.

The air force is estimated to have about 110,000 personnel and the navy 60,000.

DOES NORTH HAVE A STRONG MILITARY?

North Korea is one of nine countries in the world known to possess nuclear weapons.

It has built a range of missiles that it says can be equipped with nuclear bombs, ranging from short-range tactical weapons to huge intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) with the potential range to reach anywhere in the United States.

The KPA has a huge amount of conventional military equipment, although much of it is old and outdated. These include Soviet-era tanks such as the T-34, Chinese models, as well as domestically produced tanks such as the Chonma-ho or Songun-ho.

The KPA’s armored and mechanized units have more than 6,900 tanks and armored vehicles, according to the South Korean military’s 2022 Defense White Paper.

The Air Force has an inventory of more than 400 fighter jets, 80 light bombers and more than 200 transport aircraft, according to the IISS.

But many of its aircraft date back to the Soviet era, some are believed to be between 40 and 80 years old, and are not operational or part of the active fleet.

The Korean People’s Navy (KPANF) has about 470 surface vessels, including guided missile vessels, torpedo boats, small patrol vessels and fire support boats, according to South Korea’s 2022 Defense White Paper.

It has about 70 submarines, including Romeo-class vessels of Soviet-era design and midget submarines.

In the past few years, North Korea has taken steps to augment its navy with new nuclear weapons, including an underwater drone, warships and its first operational missile submarine.

HOW DOES NORTH KOREA USE ITS ARMY?

Most of the North’s military is deployed near the 248 km (154 mi) demilitarized zone (DMZ) border that separates it from South Korea.

The KPA has sought to compensate for perceived deficiencies by emphasizing so-called asymmetric capabilities, including special operations forces, weapons of mass destruction such as chemical and biological weapons, and artillery aimed at Seoul.

Pyongyang’s nuclear ballistic missile development has also played a larger role in its strategic thinking. North Korea says its arsenal of nuclear weapons and the ballistic missiles to carry them are needed to counter threats from the United States and its allies, which fought the North in the 1950s. -1953 Korean War.

The military has 6,800 cyber warfare personnel developing new technologies to strengthen North Korean cyber forces, according to South Korea’s white paper.

HOW MUCH DOES NORTH KOREA SPEND ON DEFENSE? Between 2010 and 2020, military spending accounted for about 20%-30% of North Korea’s GDP annually, according to The World Factbook – CIA.

In January, North Korea said it would spend nearly 16 percent of state spending on defense.

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Reuters News, International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), South Korea’s 2022 Defense White Paper, Defense Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook – CIA, Bonn International Center for Conflict Studies REUTERS