-
North Korea’s October parade, marking the 75th anniversary of the Korean Workers’ Party, unveiled a series of new weapons, from armored vehicles to intercontinental ballistic missiles.
-
The armament reflects Pyongyang’s ongoing military modernization, but the variety of weapons and equipment on display at the parade may belie the real extent of that modernization.
-
Visit the Business Insider home page for more stories.
In October, North Korea unveiled new military equipment at a parade that marked the 75th anniversary of the Korean Workers’ Party.
The ones that caught the most attention were, unsurprisingly, the missiles, especially the ballistic missile launched by submarine Pukguksong-4 (SLBM) and the Hwasong-16, which, if real, would be the largest liquid-fueled missile of all time. done.
But before these missiles appeared at the end of the parade, the impressive modernization of North Korea’s conventional forces was on full display.
Soldiers were seen wearing modern uniforms with new camouflage patterns, ballistic helmets, vests and even touchscreen devices. They were also seen parading with nuclear, biological and chemical equipment for the first time. New vehicles designed almost entirely from scratch have also been launched.
Chun In-bum, a former lieutenant general in the South Korean army, described the parade as “literally a ‘new look’ for the North Korean People’s Army (KPA) in almost every way”.
The parade undoubtedly shows that North Korea’s commitment to military modernization is paying off, but it is not yet clear how far that modernization has gone.
New armored vehicles
In addition to the missiles, the new armored vehicles received more attention.
North Korea’s armored force has long consisted of old Soviet models or slightly modified domestic copies. But a completely new armored combat vehicle and a new tank show that North Korea’s armored force is moving in a new direction.
Although little is definitely known about these vehicles, observers noticed a number of things based on their appearance. The 8 x 8 wheeled armored combat vehicle, for example, looks almost exactly like the US Army Stryker ICV.
Two variants have been shown: one armed with five anti-tank guided missile launchers that are probably copies of the Russian Kornet 9M133, and another armed with a specially designed turret that appears to house a weapon based on the 122 mm D-30 howitzer, giving it an appearance similar to the M1128 Mobile Gun System.
Both vehicles are likely to support anti-tank and fire support operations and help the KPA become more maneuverable in a manner similar to U.S. Army brigade combat teams.
The new tank is considerably more advanced than previous North Korean models. Its chassis is similar to that of Russia’s T-14 Armata, and the tower resembles the US M1 Abrams. It also appears to have a number of new technologies, such as composite armor.
Tubular launchers that resemble Russia’s active Afghan protection system (APS) appear to be mounted on the tower, meaning that the tank can intercept oncoming projectiles. The lack of infrared sight suggests that the tank may have a thermal sight – a major improvement for North Korean tanks.
There also appeared to be smoke launchers, laser alert receivers and crosswind sensors. Two side-mounted anti-tank missile launchers were also present in the tank turret, which were strangely painted in a desert camouflage pattern.
Accelerated modernization
There were several other new systems in the parade as well.
Generals and senior officers were driven around in what appeared to be mine-safe ambush vehicles (MRAP). New 155 mm self-propelled cannons have been launched, as well as new armored multiple rocket launch systems and a new anti-aircraft and radar defense comparable to Russia’s TOR system, which fills a gap in North Korean air defenses.
The parade was the latest indication that Kim Jong Un is accelerating North Korea’s military modernization efforts, a trend that has been evident with its nuclear weapons and missiles.
“Kim Jong Un achieved this,” said Dr. Sue Mi Terry, senior researcher and president of Korea’s Center for Strategic and International Studies, of the efforts.
“Some people really underestimated him when he came to power,” Terry told Insider. “But, at the end of the day, all this modernization happened under him.”
Kim has made his country’s military strengthening his top priority and wants to prove that despite international pressure and severe sanctions, North Korea is capable of sending a strong force.
“They want to show that since Singapore they are making progress,” said Terry, referring to Kim’s meeting with President Donald Trump in 2018. “That’s the main message, that they are not going to stop.”
‘A Potemkin parade’
As impressive as the new hardware is, there is reason to believe that the parade may have been a display of systems and weapons that North Korea may not have, at least not yet.
“Every parade is a Potemkin parade, in the sense that North Korea always wants to exaggerate what it has,” said Terry.
For example, despite the impressive electronics in the new tank, none of the boxes containing the optics were open, meaning that no one can be sure what is inside.
In addition, many of the systems were not seen in military tests or exercises, which means that they could only be models – especially the Pukguksong-4 and Hwasong-16 missiles. This is also the case for North Korea’s ballistic missile submarines, the Gorae and Sinpo-C classes.
Finally, North Korea may simply not have the resources to build and maintain such a large conventional force.
“I honestly doubt that much of this material is seriously propagated among North Korean forces,” said Dr. Bruce Bennett, senior defense analyst at RAND Corporation.
North Korea cannot finance its nuclear and conventional ambitions and the economy its elites want, Bennet told Insider. “The money is simply not there.”
Despite the hype, it is clear that military modernization “has made some kind of progress,” said Terry, but it is likely that only a few specialized units have benefited from it.
“I think what we saw at the parade was a very selective modernization,” said Bennett. “Take those [infantry] soldiers we saw. I bet they are almost all special forces. “
The North Korean Special Operations Force, one of KPA’s five branches, accounts for only 200,000 of KPA’s nearly 1.3 million troops, but is expected to play a leading role in a conflict.
Nuclear leverage
While the conventional military modernization of the KPA is impressive, there is little doubt that it remains qualitatively inferior to the military in South Korea and is undoubtedly inferior to the US military.
But North Korea’s real power is its nuclear arsenal. Pyongyang has made it clear that it has no reservations about its tactical deployment, which means it will likely be at the front and center of any combat scenario.
With an arsenal believed to have between 30 and 40 warheads, North Korea can use these weapons to destroy important infrastructure such as airports, military bases and ports, avoiding reinforcement and refueling efforts.
“The North Korean approach may impair South Korean air capacity. It may impair our launch capability,” said Bennet. “Then, suddenly, your conventional capabilities, even if they are upgraded very selectively, can make a big difference. [North Korea’s] special forces out there with this type of equipment, which makes it a little scary for South Korea. “
Such an approach would likely result in the destruction of North Korea, but being able to do so gives Kim “tremendous coercive capacity against the South,” said Bennet.
The evident modernization of the KPA, combined with Pyongyang’s growing nuclear and missile arsenal, put Kim in a position to assert himself and limit US influence in future negotiations.
“Kim Jong-un is a very different type of leader,” said Terry. “I think it is better for us not to underestimate him.”
Read the original article on Business Insider