In the past two days, as one of the world's traditional hot spots, the 38th parallel suddenly broke out; the DPRK side used Korea drones to fly over Pyongyang to drop leaflets to issue a sternly worded warning; at the same time, the DPRK army blasted the road connecting the north and south of the peninsula; both the DPRK and the ROK claimed that they had authorized the troops on both sides of the 38th parallel to have the right to open fire; and the DPRK side even reported the explosive news that more than 1.4 million young people had signed up to join the army or returned to the army.
■ It is suspected that Korea drones flew over Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, and airdropped sensitive propaganda materials.
For a while, the mountain rain on the 38th line was about to come, and the wind was full of buildings, and there was a posture that the third war was about to break out from here.
However, anyone with a discerning eye can actually see that the tension artificially provoked on the 38th line is just part of a larger plan. This plan connects the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield to the west, refers to the United States election to the east, and affects the situation in the Taiwan Strait to the south.
■North Korea has blown up the road connecting Korea, and it is unclear whether it is going to attack or defend.
However, for a long time, we did not have a clear understanding of the conventional military strength of the two Koreas, but this is the basis and starting point for most political and war games, and now is the right time to take this opportunity to do some research to see what the situation really is, and to make your own judgment on the decisions and developments of the situation on both sides.
According to the latest data from the Global Firepower website in 2024, Korea's military strength ranks fifth in the world, even surpassing United Kingdom and France in the P5, while North Korea ranks 36th, a fairly obvious gap. In all comparisons of strength, North Korea only outperforms Korea in land strength, and everything else is at a disadvantage. Below, we analyze and compare each specific strength one by one.
■ The overall comparison of the strength of the DPRK and South Korea on the global firepower website, except for the army, the DPRK is all red forks!
Manpower
One of the most important factors in the comparison of national strength and the analysis of war is population, after all, whether it is charging at the front or maintaining production in the rear, it is absolutely impossible to have enough manpower. In terms of total population, Korea is close to 52 million, compared to North Korea's 26 million, and the size of the Korea is twice the size of North Korea, which is Korea advantageous.
The total population is only available after the elderly, the young, the sick and the disabled, and in this respect Korea's scale advantage is further expanded compared to North Korea, with 26 million people, compared to North Korea's 9.4 million people, and Korea is about 2.8 times that of North Korea.
Not all available manpower is suitable for direct military service, and according to the physical and educational level and other aspects, among the available manpower, the human resources suitable for service are about 21 million in Korea, accounting for 81%, and North Korea is about 5.27 million, accounting for 56%.
■The size of the DPRK army at the DPRK military parade is among the largest in the world, but its overall strength is not very strong.
The human resource situation changes with age, and the number of people who have reached the appropriate age to serve each year is an important indicator of the sustainability of the war, and in this regard, the two Koreas are equal, with nearly 420,000 each. The main reason may be that Korea's fertility rate has continued to decline in recent years, and according to 2023 statistics, it has dropped to about 0.7, making it one of the lowest fertility countries in the world.
In terms of the size of the active duty army, the DPRK pursues the so-called "Songun politics" and has maintained a huge military scale for a long time, with the number of active duty soldiers as high as 1.32 million, while the number of active duty soldiers in the Korea army is about 600,000, and the DPRK is about 2.2 times that of Korea in this regard.
Compared with the North Korean army, the equipment level of the Korea army is more modern.
In addition to the active army, the reserve is an important reserve force for operations. North Korea has about 560,000 reservists, while Korea has 3.1 million reservists. The difference between the two Koreas in this data reflects the different strategies of the two sides in army building, unlike the "Songun politics" of North Korea, Korea mainly adopts the method of "hiding troops from the people", and the number of reservists is much higher than that of North Korea. The number of reservists also reflects the huge disparity in population size between the two sides.
Economy
"As soon as the cannon goes off, there are 10,000 taels of gold", the consumption of war is amazing, and it is also a competition of economic strength. As one of the developed countries, Korea is far more economically powerful than North Korea, which has long been closed, and the comparison of defense budgets is particularly obvious. According to Global Firepower, Korea's defense budget will reach $44.7 billion in 2024, while North Korea's defense budget will be $3.5 billion, only 7.8% of Korea's.
■This street comparison between North Korea and Korea is enough to show the huge economic gap between the two countries.
In terms of external debt, Korea is $457.7 billion and North Korea is $5 billion. In terms of foreign exchange reserves, Korea is $467.7 billion and North Korea is $5 billion. These two figures show the huge difference between the two Koreas in terms of economic size and economic form. Korea is an export-oriented economy that is characterized by large inflows and large outflows, while the North Korean economy is basically in a state of "closed country" and strives to maintain self-sufficiency.
Excluding the estimated national purchasing power parity between the two currencies, Korea is $2,289 billion, compared to North Korea $40 billion. However, since North Korea is largely non-involved in international trade, this estimate is for reference only.
Air Force Chapter
In terms of air force strength, the Korea Air Force has a total of 1,576 aircraft, the North Korean Air Force has 951 aircraft, and the Korea Air Force is 1.66 times that of the North Korean Air Force.
The number of fighters in the Korea Air Force is 354 and the North Korean Air Force is 440. Although the DPRK Air Force is ahead of Korea in quantity, it is at a disadvantage in quality across the board. The most advanced model of the North Korean Air Force is the MiG-29, with only 35 aircraft, and the rest are old third-generation or even second-generation aircraft. The Korea Air Force has the most advanced F-35A stealth fifth-generation aircraft and fourth-generation aircraft such as F-15K and KF-16, and the self-developed four-and-a-half-generation fighter KF-21 has made its first flight in 2022.
■ The Korea Air Force is already equipped with the world's leading F-35A stealth fighter.
In terms of the number of attack aircraft, the North Korean Air Force has 132, leading the Korea Air Force with 98, the main attack aircraft of the North Korean Air Force is the Su-25, the attack aircraft of the Korea Air Force is mainly the FA-50 combat / attack aircraft jointly developed by the United States and South Korea, which is an armed version of the T-50 advanced training aircraft, and the ground attack capability can only be said to be unsatisfactory, and there are some old F-4E "Phantom" combat / attack aircraft can also perform ground strike missions. However, considering that most of the Korea Air Force's main fighters also have strong ground strike capabilities and superiority in precision-guided weapons, the North Korean Air Force's slight advantage in attack aircraft is meaningless.
■There is a generation gap between the most advanced MiG-29 fighters of the DPRK Air Force and the advanced fighters of the Korea Air Force.
In terms of large transport aircraft, North Korea has only 1 Il-76, and there is also news that there may be 2~3 models of this model, but whether it is true or not, it is far from the 41 large transport aircraft of the Korea Air Force.
In terms of trainer aircraft, the Korea Air Force has 288 and the North Korean Air Force has 173, and the Korea Air Force is 1.66 times larger than the North Korean Air Force. In terms of the number of special operations aircraft, the Korea Air Force has 33 and the North Korean Air Force has 0, so it can be considered that Korea's air special combat capabilities far exceed those of the DPRK.
■ Korea Air Force KC-330 tanker aircraft accompanied by F-15 and F-16 fighters.
Tankers are air combat force multipliers, especially in the event of wartime airfield damage, and the Korea Air Force has four tankers, which the North Korean Air Force does not currently have.
In terms of military helicopters, Korea has 758 and North Korea has 205, and Korea enjoys a 3.7-fold advantage. In terms of helicopter gunships, Korea has 112, North Korea has 20, and Korea has more than 5 times more than North Korea, which is definitely not good news for those armored vehicles of the North Korean Army.
Army Chapter
Both Koreas maintain sizable armies, with the North Korean Army numbering about 1 million and the Korea Army numbering about 360,000. In terms of equipment, the North Korean Army has 5,845 tanks, while the Korea Army has 2,501 tanks, which is 2.34 times that of Korea. The North Korean Army's newest "Songun" main battle tank may have been developed by combining the technology of the T-72, T-80 and even the T-90, and the main model of the "Cheonma" main battle tank was developed on the basis of the T-62 with several improved versions. The DPRK Army also has a number of T-62, T-55 and PT-76 amphibious light tanks.
■North Korea's most advanced "Songun" main battle tank, which combines the technology of various Russian tanks.
The Korea Army currently has about 260 K2 Panther main battle tanks, which are planned to be expanded to 500. This tank, which only entered active service in 2014, is the Korea Army's most modern main battle tank and has already entered the international market. The main force of the Korea Army's main battle tank is the K1 series, which was developed in the 80s with reference to the United States M1 "Abrams" main battle tank. There are also a number of M48A3/A5 "Patton" tanks, which are mainly used for reserve forces and training.
■ Korea's K2 "Black Panther" main battle tank has reached the advanced level of the West in terms of technology and performance.
In terms of armored vehicles, the Korea Army has an advantage, with the number of armored vehicles reaching 66,492, and the North Korean Army has 24,696 armored vehicles, which Korea is 2.7 times that of the DPRK. Combined with the comparison of the forces of the two sides, it can be seen that the degree of mechanization of the Korea Army is much higher than that of the North Korean Army.
In terms of self-propelled artillery, the North Korean Army is equipped with 4,500 vehicles, and the Korea Army is equipped with 3,189 vehicles, which is about 1.4 times that of Korea. In terms of towed artillery, the North Korean Army is equipped with 4,500 guns, and the Korea Army is equipped with 4,863 guns, with Korea having a slight advantage. In terms of rocket artillery, the North Korean Army has an absolute advantage, with 2,920 vehicles, while the Korea Army has only 581 vehicles. Overall, there is not much difference in the strength of the two sides in terms of body-barreled artillery, but the North Korean Army is able to use the advantage of covering firepower because of its large number of rocket artillery.
Navy Chapter
In terms of the number of naval ships, the North Korean Navy has reached a staggering 505 ships, while the Korea Navy has 200, and the North Korean Navy is 2.5 times larger than the Korea Navy, however, the quantitative advantage does not equate to the quality advantage. Distinguished by the type of warship, it is clear which is stronger and which is weak.
The Korea Navy has 2 amphibious assault ships, while North Korea has 0. The Korea Navy currently has two Dokdo-class amphibious assault ships, the USS Dokdo (LPH-6111) and the USS Maro Island (LPH-6112), with a full load displacement of about 19,000 tons and a capacity of up to 10 helicopters. On this basis, Korea has been planning to build its own light aircraft carrier, details can be found in this historical article:.
■ The Korea Navy's amphibious assault ship "Maro Island", the North Korean Navy does not have a large warship of the corresponding type.
In terms of large submarines, the Korea Navy has 22 and the North Korean Navy has 35. The submarines of the DPRK and the ROK Navy are all conventional submarines, and both countries have plans to build nuclear submarines, but neither has yet materialized.
The submarines of the DPRK Navy were mainly developed on the basis of the Soviet Romeo-class submarines in the 50s of the last century, with an underwater displacement of about 1,800 tons, and the so-called "tactical nuclear attack" submarine "Hero Kim Jun-ok", launched last year, was also modified on this basis. In addition, the DPRK Navy has dozens of miniature and small submarines with a displacement ranging from tens to hundreds of tons, which can be used for reconnaissance, infiltration, and other special operations. (For details about the submarine "Hero Kim Jun-ok" of the DPRK Navy, please refer to this historical article: "Today, the DPRK defines a new "nuclear" submarine with the old submarine!) and "What a hero is Kim Jun-ok, who named North Korea's first nuclear submarine?" What is his accomplishment? 》）
■The submarine "Hero Kim Jun-ok", which will be launched in 2023, is known as a "nuclear submarine", but it is still a conventional power.
The Korea Navy's large submarines are mainly of the "Jang Bogo" series, including nine Jang Bogo-I. class submarines, an improved version of the Germany Type 209 submarine, built by Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Company (DSME) with technical support from Germany, with an underwater displacement of about 1200 tons, and entered service in the 1990s. The nine Jang Baogao-II-class submarines are based on the Germany Type 214 submarine design, built by the Korea Navy in cooperation with Germany, equipped with an AIP absolute propulsion system and an underwater displacement of about 1800 tons. Four Jang Bao-go-III class submarines, designed and built by Korea with an underwater displacement of about 3,700 tons, have the ability to launch submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and plan to build nine, which is considered a leap in Korea's submarine technology.
In terms of destroyers, the Korea Navy has 13 and the North Korean Navy has 0. The Korea Navy's newest King Sejong-class destroyer has a full load displacement of 11,000 tons, is equipped with the Aegis combat system, and has 128 vertical units. At present, the second batch of King Sejong's class is being built, and the radar, fire control system, and missile strike capability have been improved and upgraded, and the anti-missile capability has been enhanced.
The Korea Navy's destroyer "King Sejong" is a proper "Aegis" ship.
In terms of frigates, the Korea Navy has 17 and the North Korean Navy has 1. In terms of cruisers, the Korea Navy has 5 and the North Korean Navy has 4. In terms of patrol boats, the Korea Navy has 35 and the North Korean Navy has 169. It is not difficult to see that the North Korean Navy's naval superiority in the number of ships is mainly concentrated in small ships, while the Korea Navy has an overwhelming advantage in large main combat ships. As for how the DPRK Navy will play the role of small ships in a future war, let's see what happens.
Finally, in terms of mine ships, the Korea Navy has 14 ships, and the North Korean Navy has only one. Just as landmines play an important role in naval warfare, just as landmines play an important role in naval warfare. Whether it is mine-laying or mine-sweeping capabilities, the gap between the North Korean Navy and the Korea Navy will have a very negative impact in the war. However, the DPRK's maritime trade was not well developed, perhaps because of this consideration, the development of mine warfare ships was neglected.
Logistics
Modern warfare relies on a strong logistical support network, including infrastructure such as airports, ports, transportation hubs, and road networks. In terms of the number of airports, Korea has 111 and North Korea has 82. In terms of the number of port hubs, Korea has 11 and North Korea has 7, although the number is almost the same, but Korea far exceeds North Korea in port throughput. In terms of merchant fleet size, Korea has 2,063 merchant ships, while North Korea has 270. As one of the world's shipbuilding powers, Korea has a large maritime merchant fleet and can play a great role in wartime, and North Korea is completely incomparable in this regard.
■The Port of Busan, the largest port in Korea, is also the sixth largest container port in the world.
In terms of labor force, Korea has 28.67 million and North Korea has 17.16 million, which is similar to the comparison of the two countries in terms of total population. In the transportation network, the total length of the road network in Korea is 100,000 kilometers, 26,000 kilometers in North Korea, 4,000 kilometers in Korea and 7,400 kilometers in North Korea. In contrast, Korea's road network is far more developed than North Korea's, which is affected by mountainous terrain, which is relatively lagging behind in road network construction and inconvenient transportation, and is more dependent on rail transportation.
epilogue
Of course, the above six comparisons do not include nuclear weapons, and it is estimated that North Korea may already have dozens of nuclear warheads and have intercontinental delivery capabilities, but this is for the United States, not for Korea.
I don't know how you feel after watching the comparison of conventional forces between the two countries, anyway, Lord Walker has seen many groups saying in the past two days that if there is no intervention of United States Dad, North Korea will destroy Korea in minutes, I really don't know where to start.
■Attached to the last 5 days of Korea stock index dynamics, Korea capital seems to have no waves in their hearts.
No country's leaders are fools. It must be known that when Kim Il Sung launched the Korean War on June 25, 1950, he was strong and completely crushed South Korea at that time, and it was precisely because of this calculation and the judgment that United States would not participate in the conflict on the Korean Peninsula according to the statement of the then Secretary of State of the United States, Acheson, that he dared to make up his mind to take action.
What now? You don't really think Eun Eun is a fool, do you?