DPRK Special Operations Forces

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DPRK Special Operations Forces
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visits one of the KPA Special Operations Forces bases, October 2024.


The DPRK Armed Forces or the Korean People's Army include several main branches of the armed forces, among which the Special Operations Forces occupy a special place. The SSO is one of the most closed structures in the country, and almost nothing is known about them. Nevertheless, this branch of the armed forces invariably attracts attention outside the DPRK, and the lack of information only fuels interest in it.



Secrets and secrets


The Korean People's Army (KPA) is a closed structure, and therefore there is not much detailed and reliable information about it. The same fully applies to the Special Operations Forces (SOF) of the DPRK. In fact, only the fact of their existence is known and confirmed, while other details remain questionable.

Most of the information about the KPA SOF comes from foreign sources. This includes intelligence data, intelligence analysis, and information provided by defectors. How much of this information corresponds to reality is a big question.

Foreign reports on the Korean special forces do not give a complete picture and often contradict each other. However, they allow us to roughly imagine what the DPRK special forces might be like and what they are capable of.


Special forces at the shooting range

According to available data…


According to various sources, the DPRK began creating its first special units no later than the mid-1960s. These units were intended both to perform special tasks in peacetime and to participate in a hypothetical future war with South Korea.

It is assumed that the future KPA SOF began with infantry units that received special training. Over time, these units expanded, their equipment was improved, and their training plans were changed. In addition, the SOF began to be supplemented by new formations of various types and purposes. In particular, they acquired their own landing and naval units.

The combat work of the new branch of the armed forces began only a few years after its creation. Thus, in January 1968, a unit of North Korean special forces penetrated the territory of the Republic of Korea and attempted to attack the presidential residence in Seoul. The operation failed, but the DPRK special forces inflicted significant damage on the enemy police and army.


Demonstration of physical fitness

In the following years, the KPA Special Operations Forces repeatedly carried out various operations. Some of them were made public, while others remained classified. The special operations forces operated both on land and at sea, near the demilitarized zone and in other areas.

current status


The KPA SOF continues to exist and actively develop, as well as prepare to perform various tasks in the most difficult conditions. According to available data, at the moment the SOF actually represent a small army within the armed forces. This is reflected both in their numbers and in their operational capabilities.

All KPA special forces units are considered to be part of the 11th Army Corps of the Ground Forces. The headquarters of this formation is located in Tokchon. Its subordinate military units are distributed throughout the country, with the largest number of them concentrated in the south, closer to the border with the hostile neighbor.

The total number of SOF is estimated in a wide range. According to the Military Balance 2024 reference book, there are about 88 thousand servicemen in their ranks. However, other foreign studies may include in the SOF not only the 11th Corps, but also "regular" formations of the ground forces. Such a calculation brings the number of special forces to 150-200 thousand people.


Diving unit

The 11th Corps includes up to 25 reconnaissance battalions. It is assumed that these are the main forces of the Special Operations Forces, intended to carry out a wide range of combat missions. They are the ones who must conduct reconnaissance and sabotage in the enemy's rear, or assist the main forces of the army at the front.

The SSO also includes up to nine light infantry brigades, which are intended to directly participate in combat and serve as reinforcements for the main groups. Similar tasks are carried out by fighters from several specialized sniper brigades.

The KPA Special Operations Forces have the capability to land troops. The reconnaissance battalions receive the appropriate training. In addition, the 11th Corps has specialized airborne brigades and marine brigades.

Equipment and preparation


SSO units regularly take part in military parades. They are also involved in training exercises, and sometimes demonstration performances are held. Materials from these events allow us to determine the approximate composition of the material part of the Special Operations Forces.


Air Troopers

Special Operations Forces soldiers are usually armed with standard small arms. weapons KPA. At parades, you can see assault rifles or sniper rifles of the basic models. At the same time, unusual models, such as assault rifles with high-capacity magazines, regularly appear in the ranks.

The SSO equipment park is based on the army's equipment as a whole. The units have a variety of vehicles and light armored vehicles. Does the special forces have Tanks и artillery, unknown. If necessary, the SSO may involve aviation units from the Air Force. They apparently do not have their own aviation. To support operations at sea and on the coast, they have various boats, landing craft and, presumably, small submarines.

The training of special forces fighters differs from the general army training. During the training, special attention is paid to all the main issues - from physical training to mastery of equipment. Probably, servicemen undergo several training courses, receiving a whole range of important skills and specialties.

During the training, the SOF fighters study different tactics and prepare for action in various conditions. It is believed that a significant part of this course is preparation for sabotage and guerrilla activity on enemy territory. The special forces also learn to fight the enemy SOF on their own territory.


SSO at one of the parades

The topic of training KPA Special Forces fighters is of great interest to the foreign press and experts. At the same time, there are many rumors and speculations circulating around this issue, including the most implausible ones. It is mentioned that special forces soldiers undergo special physical and ideological processing, as a result of which they become a cruel and inexorable weapon of Pyongyang. It is the ideological aspects that are given special attention, right up to the appearance and dissemination of frankly absurd rumors.

multipurpose tool


Thus, like other countries with modern armies, the DPRK has its own Special Operations Forces. They are organized as a separate branch of the ground forces and have their own range of tasks, which they solve independently or together with other structures.

Based on the available information, it can be assumed that the KPA SOF are not fundamentally different from similar formations in other countries. They are a kind of army within an army, with a number of important advantages. The special forces are better trained, equipped with more modern equipment and gear. However, this comes at a price - solving the most difficult tasks, often in non-standard conditions and with increased risks.

In the past, the KPA SOF have demonstrated their capabilities in one form or another and carried out real operations. Right now, they are continuing to prepare for new missions and are awaiting orders. How soon and in what form they will have to conduct combat operations again is still unknown.
58 comments
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  1. +4
    24 October 2024 04: 15
    How soon and in what form they will have to conduct combat work again is still unknown.
    The question is certainly interesting!
    1. +4
      24 October 2024 06: 14
      How soon?

      The enemy reports that on 23.10 they will arrive in the Kursk region and, after familiarizing themselves with the conditions of the fighting and the plans of the Russian command, will join the counter-terrorist operation on the territory of the region.
      in what form will they have to conduct combat work again?

      The Kursk region is currently experiencing muddy conditions and heavy enemy armored vehicles cannot drive through them. As I see it, the Ukrainian Armed Forces used the following tactics: after reconnoitring the situation using UAVs, one or more armored vehicles with anti-mine protection approached the positions of Russian troops and used mortars, automatic guns mounted on armored vehicles, small arms and grenade launchers to launch a fire attack. After using up their ammunition and planting mines to cover their retreat, they fled. Conscripts in unarmored Urals could not pursue them.
      Due to the muddy conditions, battles are taking place between sabotage and reconnaissance groups on both sides. This is where the DPRK army special forces can prove themselves. The special forces fighters have the necessary training (they had to send fighters with at least 3 years of service) are young and physically resilient. The Ukrainians have select units staffed with fighters who have undergone 3-6 months of training maximum and are over 30 (probably). The enemy's advantage is better weapons (they write that the Koreans are given Russian weapons) and the fact that they have already been fired upon.
      1. +3
        24 October 2024 06: 21
        The assumption that the Koreans are being given Russian weapons is apparently made by analogy with the video where they are given Russian uniforms.
  2. +19
    24 October 2024 05: 10
    In fact, the article does not give any answers about the DPRK SSO. What I learned from the article: the DPRK SSO does exist. They were created around the 60s. They are well trained, at the level of similar units from other countries. Oh, yeah! They carried out a number of operations against South Korea.
    Actually, in my opinion, it was not worth publishing an entire article based on this information. hi
    1. +9
      24 October 2024 06: 20
      until there is a war and we will not see) although we see something else Israel is knocking out the command of its counterparts in batches, some have even begun to refuse such an increase, who knows, knows)) and in a closer area, the actions of special forces of all types are not visible. drones and see further and tiny ones are hard to shoot down, and a shell does not care whether you are a special forces or a special forces. Hitting bricks with your head is one thing, but a cross-country ride on Land Cruisers is, as they say, another, and both are soldierly ingenuity)) intelligence agents. liquidators. spotters. agents of influence. This is now a real special forces
    2. +6
      24 October 2024 06: 36
      That high-profile operation with the storming of the presidential palace, which the author recalls, in fact turned out to be a complete failure. Immediately after penetrating the territory of South Korea, the special forces group came across local lumberjacks. And having shown proletarian solidarity with the workers, they held a political talk with them about the unification of Korea and moved on... And the lumberjacks ran to the police, where they told everything. And when the group attacked the palace, they were already expected. Several civilians were killed in the shootout on the street near the palace, the assault failed, out of the entire group of about 30 people, no more than five saboteurs managed to escape and return back. An adventure of pure water...
      1. -3
        24 October 2024 07: 05
        Alexander hi From Seoul to the border is at least 40 km, and the walk there and back is already 80 km.
      2. +10
        24 October 2024 07: 34
        in fact, it turned out to be a complete failure

        It was a political action in support of the Vietnamese people's struggle against American aggression (21.01.1968/2/XNUMX). The special forces platoon had two main targets: the Blue House and the US Embassy in Seoul, and finally the South Korean Ministry of Defense.
        And the loggers ran to the police, where they told everything

        The DPRK soldiers showed humanity by not killing South Korean civilians. Are you suggesting that Israeli special forces would have killed Jewish civilians in similar circumstances?
        And when the group attacked the palace, they were already expected.

        General security measures were tightened, no one expected the Blue House to be the target. Patrols of policemen armed with machine guns and soldiers were posted along the outer perimeter.
        Several civilians were killed in a shootout on the street near the palace, the assault failed

        A platoon of 31 fighters killed one hundred and fifty policemen, soldiers, bodyguards and six American officers under the President of South Korea - military advisers. They did not even publish how many were wounded! President Park Chung-hee himself managed to hide in an underground bunker with a thick steel door, which the special forces were unable to break or blow up.
        Out of the entire group of about 30 people, no more than five saboteurs managed to escape and return back.

        28 fighters were killed, one was seriously wounded and taken prisoner, 2 survived all the raids, troop deployments and combat posts on the DMZ, returning to the DPRK.
        A pure adventure...

        That's why special forces are called special forces, they can carry out tasks that seem impossible to ordinary people.
        1. +7
          24 October 2024 10: 40
          smart fellow(Viewer), thanks for more detailed information about that raid. Of course, I know all this and have read it in different sources with different presentations of this act. Here, as we understand, a lot depends on the position of the author who took it upon himself to write about that raid. And if a South Korean or an American writes about it, then we will get a complete failure and an adventure. Where, by the way, the emphasis will be on a school bus with children that came under fire...
          Regarding the option of liquidating the loggers, the comparison with the actions of Israel is quite legitimate and it was not for nothing that I used the term "proletarian solidarity". But from the point of view of the actions of the special forces, it was recognized as a mistake to simply let everyone go on their word of honor and jeopardize their mission.
          Yes, they showed human mercy to people... But why then didn't they show similar mercy to the passengers of the Boeing 707 that was blown up over the Andaman Sea? But these were also agents of the DPRK from the Special Operations Forces, as the woman who did not manage to commit suicide admitted. And this is not just an adventure, but pure terrorism, which, unfortunately, they sinned with under the current Un's father. And most importantly, what did they achieve with this raid? Did they chop up several Americans and a hundred South Koreans? And then what?
          1. +2
            24 October 2024 13: 07
            Why then didn't they show similar mercy to the passengers of the Boeing 707 that was blown up over the Andaman Sea?

            The DPRK denies involvement in the terrorist attack. Evidence of the DPRK's involvement in the terrorist attack was based on the testimony of a Korean woman who allegedly participated in the preparation for the terrorist attack. She was convicted and, after serving her sentence, was released (even early, it seems)???
            The North Korean special forces soldier was not executed because he was a prisoner of war, this person was considered a terrorist and other rules should have been applied to her. That is, she should have been sentenced to death. At that time, standard interrogation rules in the police and NIS (Korean CIA) included torture with electric current and water. This "terrorist" could have not been involved in the terrorist attack at all and they simply "stitched a case" on her. Judging by South Korean dramas, this is a common thing for representatives of the security forces of the Republic of Korea to this day. Powell's test tube is an old story, but what about Bucha. The entire West is convinced that the Russians raped and killed local residents. The Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Main Intelligence Directorate are allegedly even "hunting" for Russian soldiers who allegedly committed these crimes.
            Now, the question is: did the events in Bucha take place or not? The Russian government denies this, considering it a deliberate provocation.
            And most importantly, what did they achieve with this raid? Did they chop up several Americans and a hundred South Koreans? And then what?

            The returning special forces were presented with state awards of the DPRK, the DPRK special forces demonstrated their training and created tension on the Korean Peninsula to distract South Korea's attention from Vietnam, where several divisions and brigades of the South Korean army were sent. The South Koreans even created a suicide squad of criminals sentenced to death to kill Kim Il Sung and high-ranking officials. True, they themselves destroyed it to cover up the traces, since there was a warming in inter-Korean relations. Hundreds of soldiers and policemen riddled the bus with commandos, to make sure no one survived. A feature film was made in South Korea about this, and they were recently posthumously rehabilitated.
          2. +2
            24 October 2024 17: 11
            I will add about the DPRK's assistance to Vietnam.
            ... In 1967, North Korea sent a squadron armed with modern Soviet-made fighters to support communist North Vietnam. There is little open source information about this episode of the Vietnam War. It is known that between 87 and 200 North Koreans served in the squadron, at least 14 of whom were killed and buried in a military cemetery in Hanoi. The DPRK claims that its pilots shot down 26 American planes.
            ... In addition, North Korea provided North Vietnam with two air defense regiments and a special unit for propaganda processing of South Korean troops fighting on the side of South Vietnam (more than 300 thousand South Korean soldiers fought in this war).
            https://www.golosameriki.com/a/dprk-global-military-conflicts/7837044.html

            ... In October 1966, the ruling Workers' Party of Korea decided to provide military aid to Vietnam. In early 1967, the DPRK began supplying arms to Hanoi, sending weapons, ammunition, and up to 2 million uniforms to Vietnam.
            ... In addition, to protect Hanoi, Vietnam received fighters from North Korea, which reinforced the 921st and 923rd air regiments, which consisted of Soviet MiG-17s and MiG-21s. At that time, it was only known that the combat aircraft were provided by "a certain state." And only in 1996 did the Pentagon establish for certain that the fighters were supplied by Pyongyang, and Vietnam itself officially acknowledged this even later, in 2001. In addition, during the war, up to 200 North Korean pilots fought on the side of the Vietnamese communists.
            ... 12 North Korean pilots killed during the war were buried in the Vietnamese province of Bac Giang. In 2001, their remains were transported to the DPRK, but it was decided to preserve the war memorial in Vietnam.
            https://www.bbc.com/russian/articles/c3e8j3pn9gjo
            1. +2
              25 October 2024 08: 53
              smart fellow(Viewer), thanks for reminding me about the specific assistance and participation of the DPRK to Vietnam. But this does not convince me of the expediency of the attack on the palace in Seoul. I do not see any continuation, even if they managed to kill the president and seize the palace... In an hour, they would have destroyed everyone anyway and in a month they would have elected a new president, no better than the previous one, or even worse...
              The DPRK leadership at that time had a primitive confidence that all the people in the South Korea were waiting and dreaming of liberators coming from the North. And if anything, they would immediately support this attack and the overthrow of the hated president. That is why I call it an adventure that made no sense.
              1. +3
                25 October 2024 09: 40
                A month later they elected a new president, no better than the previous one, and even worse...

                I have already answered you. There were 2 main targets (the Blue House and the US Embassy) and one task: to switch South Korea's attention to the Korean Peninsula. Maybe you didn't read my comment about what kind of help the DPRK provided to North Vietnam? After that, sending special forces was really that much? The Koreans sent 200 fighter pilots to North Vietnam alone, not counting technical personnel. Two air defense regiments, weapons, ammunition and 2 million sets of military uniforms.
                The DPRK leadership at that time had a primitive belief that all the people in South Korea were waiting and dreaming of liberators coming from the north.

                Well, your reasoning reminds me of the comments on VO before the Ukrainian events: the Koreans are fools, they can't live peacefully, but they are one people! Now the Ukrainians are Ukrainian pigs, who must all be exterminated, preferably with nuclear weapons. But before that, there were Slavic brothers, one former Soviet people!
                At the beginning of the Second World War, all Russians had a primitive belief that all the people in Ukraine were waiting and dreaming of liberators coming from the east.
                Don't look down on others, remembering the saying about a speck of dust in the eye.
                1. +2
                  25 October 2024 11: 01
                  smart fellow(Viewer), I read everything carefully before answering you, don't doubt it. But you one-sidedly accepted my proposal to send this platoon of special forces to Vietnam, instead of storming the palace. It is clear that this handful, even the most trained, would not have led to a turning point in the war in Vietnam. But in the same way, and even more so, it did not lead to anything with its adventure in Seoul. Or is it so important to you that several Americans die at their hands? For me, even a hundred filthy Yankees are not worth one DPRK special forces soldier. Now if these soldiers had carried out sabotage actions on enemy military facilities or even industrial and transport facilities in South Korea without civilian deaths, I would have welcomed that.
                  And then, you yourself absolutely accurately noticed the similarity with the initial actions of our troops in Ukraine. Where they thought exactly the same that they were waiting for us there with open arms and rushed as if on parade, in columns without cover or reconnaissance.
                  But there is also a difference in the results... Whatever you say, such a sudden attack managed to seize a significant part of Ukraine and it was already on the verge of defeat when it signed in Istanbul.
                  And even taking into account that they then rolled back from Kyiv and Kherson, they still annexed what they had won. And what did the DPRK get after that adventure, except for universal condemnation, even from their closest friends and allies? No matter how you twist and turn it, it was a pure act of terrorism by any definition.
                  When our special forces killed Amin in Kabul, everything was thought out and prepared, when Amin's death did not allow him to lie under the USA. And what is happening here?... And about that, and you are telling me about helping Vietnam... Do you think that this attack helped, distracted South Korean troops from sending them to Vietnam?
                  1. +1
                    25 October 2024 13: 36
                    But you one-sidedly accepted my proposal to send this platoon of special forces to Vietnam, instead of storming the palace.

                    I didn’t even have that thought, you’ve already started to think it out for me.
                    She got nowhere with her adventure in Seoul

                    Nobody knows. I repeat once again, the goal was to switch the attention of the South Korean government from Vietnam to itself, in other words, "to draw fire on itself." Taking into account the rotation, 350 South Korean soldiers passed through Vietnam. If there had not been a raid by special forces, perhaps their number would have exceeded half a million. As they write, South Korean soldiers were in the rear, guarding warehouses. But with the Viet Cong, where was the rear and where was the front? They also write that South Korean soldiers distinguished themselves by their cruelty towards local residents during punitive raids, no worse than the Americans.
                    No matter how you twist and turn it, this was a pure act of terrorism by any definition.

                    I have already discussed this with one reader on VO, I will repeat. The DPRK and RK are still in a state of war. This was a reconnaissance and sabotage operation carried out during the war. The South Koreans themselves admitted this, putting the special forces soldier in prison, and not executing him. Why? Because he was a prisoner of war! The murders committed by Israel, both recently and previously, are terrorist attacks, since Israel is not in a state of war with Iran. This is especially true for the murder of Iranian scientists and designers. Even the murders of German Nazis by the Israelis after the war can formally be classified as terrorist attacks, since they occurred after the war, and not during the war.
                    But there is also a difference in the results... Whatever you say, such a sudden attack managed to seize a significant part of Ukraine and it was already on the verge of defeat when it signed in Istanbul.

                    If we compare the SVO, then with the Korean War. Then the KPA (135) in 000 months defeated the South Korean army (2) and completely destroyed the 150th US infantry division, capturing its commander, Major General Dean. At that time, a US infantry division was 000 soldiers. At the time when they were finishing off the American division, the number of American troops in Korea already exceeded the number of the KPA. Nevertheless, the Americans, together with the remnants of the South Korean army and their allies, were on the verge of defeat. Only the river along which they took up defensive positions and continuous fire 24x20 along the river line saved them from the communists "throwing them into the sea."
                    That's when our special forces killed Amin in Kabul

                    Different conditions, different states. We can also add cases when a hundred mercenaries, having landed at the airport, carried out a coup d'etat. And there were many such cases.
                    1. 0
                      25 October 2024 13: 56
                      The DPRK and ROK are still in a state of war. This was a reconnaissance and sabotage operation carried out during the war.

                      We don't have a peace treaty with Japan either, and it turns out we don't even have one with Germany... And formally, we are in a state of war with them. And there are plenty of such examples between other countries, but few send special forces to liquidate the president. The US has been guilty of this throughout its post-war history, and Kim reasoned quite sensibly, why they can, but I can't.
                      And I tried... it didn't work out and couldn't work out with such a balance of forces. So it was an adventure. And then you can figure out for yourself what it affected and who it harmed more.
                      I admire the courage and even impudence of the DPRK in creating its own nuclear weapons. But I keep in mind that South Korea and Japan will be next... and all the others will follow. Argentina will remember its Peron. And Germany will decide one day that it is time for it too, and nothing will hold it back. And as for Turkey, I have no doubt about it, given its ambitions. We will have a fun life, though...
                      1. +2
                        25 October 2024 14: 33
                        We also don’t have a peace treaty with Japan, and it turns out we don’t even have one with Germany... And formally, we are in a state of war with them.

                        It's elementary. The war with Japan ended with its capitulation. The surrender of Japanese troops in Korea was accepted by the troops of the USSR and the USA in accordance with the agreement between them. Well, the fact that the USA decided to accept the capitulation without the USSR is simply a scam on the part of the USA. Germany signed the capitulation in the war with the USSR, as far as I remember.
                        Although the DPRK did not declare war on South Korea, the war objectively began. As is known, a ceasefire agreement was signed between the DPRK and the CPV command on one side and the US on behalf of the UN troops. The US declared war on the DPRK in October 1950 and has not yet signed a peace treaty. That is, the DPRK and the US are in a state of war, but have ceased military action against each other. Therefore, it was expected that Trump would sign a peace treaty with the DPRK in Hanoi. But it did not work out. The President of South Korea demanded that the war continue and refused to sign the agreement. So, formally, military action between the two countries has not ceased.
                        And I tried... it didn't work out and it couldn't work out with such a balance of forces. So it was an adventure.

                        They were suicide bombers and knew that they would probably not return alive. As Remarque wrote, if every soldier knew that he would not return from the war, there would be no wars. However, tens of thousands of people sign up for the SVO every month and everyone believes that they will return alive and earn a little more money.
                        I admire the courage and even impudence of the DPRK in creating its own nuclear weapons.

                        As far as I understand, you only have a superficial knowledge of the situation on the Korean Peninsula. During the Korean War, Mac Arthur demanded that Washington allow the use of nuclear weapons against the DPRK and the CPV. It was planned to drop 6 atomic bombs on Pyongyang, and to fill the border between the PRC and the DPRK from the air with sand mixed with a radioactive isotope of cobalt. Kim Il Sung learned about this after the war and remembered. In 1993, the US President wanted to start a war with the DPRK after the Iraqi success, but the most ardent opponents of the war with the DPRK in the US are the American military. According to their calculations, 3 months of war would cost the allies 1 million soldiers, including 100 American. US expenses would amount to $000 billion, and the losses to the South Korean economy $100 trillion. The US has also repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons against the DPRK. I remember even reading in Russian publications the reasoning of local liberals about carrying out pinpoint strikes with high-precision tomahawks with a warhead of 1-100 kt on Pyongyang. The Jews in Israel are impudent, but the West is lenient about their nuclear weapons.
                      2. +1
                        26 October 2024 06: 22
                        As far as I understand, you only have a superficial knowledge of the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

                        You understand absolutely correctly, since Socrates said - "I know that I know nothing." I hope you understand the meaning of this statement.
                        And no matter how much I read or knew about the Korean War, I will never make claims that I know the topic deeply... I can admit that at the age of eighty, being the same age as that war, I may not know much. But I will say honestly, I am very grateful to you for the facts and arguments presented, although I have known all of them for a long time. But it was useful to refresh my memory.
                      3. +1
                        26 October 2024 08: 40
                        I can admit that at the age of eighty, being the same age as that war, I may not know much.

                        The USSR hid its participation in the Korean War and information appeared in open sources after the collapse of the USSR. The most well-known is the participation of Soviet fighter pilots of the 64th IAK in the Korean War, but everyone relied on American sources, including Wikipedia. The bloodiest war after WWII was called in the USSR and Russia a regional conflict on the Korean Peninsula, and for example, the events in Chechnya were called the Chechen Wars, although their scale is naturally incomparable. Preparations for the war were carried out with the participation of 150 (mentioned only once) Soviet military advisers, T-34-85 tanks were delivered, the 105th Tank Brigade, the first to enter Seoul (now transformed into the Seoul Guards Tank Division), was equipped with 150 of these machines, more than 200 aircraft (mainly Il-2 attack aircraft and fighters) and other weapons, the best at that time. At the request of the USSR, the Chinese sent ethnic Koreans who had real combat experience and, of course, Koreans from the USSR. It is not surprising that the first stage of the war was accompanied by military success for the KPA. The Americans' soldiers had never smelled gunpowder and they hoped for the elite 1st US Marine Division, all officers of which had participated in the war in the Pacific. This division was surrounded in the Chosin Reservoir area and suffered heavy losses from the KPV. In China, a dilogy "Battle of Chosin Reservoir" was filmed about those events. After the news of the defeat of the group of troops, the core of which was this division, the commander of the American troops ordered everyone to retreat to the port for evacuation. The Americans literally jumped out of their tanks and ran to the evacuation site. Several divisions were amassed there, but the US naturally presented this as their achievement, calling the Chinese fools and incompetents because they could have killed or captured everyone. Nevertheless, during the first stage of their Korean campaign, the Chinese People's Volunteers killed 1 American and South Korean soldiers and liberated Pyongyang without tanks or air support.
                      4. 0
                        26 October 2024 09: 33
                        smart fellow(Viewer), you are right that the main information about that war began to be revealed during Perestroika and it was then that I began to receive the main bulk of it with the black stuff. And before that, being the son of an officer from the aviation, and then a missileman, I moved in this circle, where much more information leaked out than in our press. There was another source of information, "enemy voices", which the boys and I often listened to and then exchanged opinions about what we heard.
                        Being in Transcarpathia at that time, it was easier to do this than in the depths of the country, where such “voices” were drowned out.
                        But of course, in the 60s and 70s, the "voices" spoke little about the Korean War, and more about current events on the peninsula. And I must say that since childhood I have developed a good immunity to the perception of inconvenient truth, if such seeped through our barrier and censorship.
                        It was just that the understanding came that anything can happen in our politics, there are mistakes and failures, and we need to take all this with a sober mind and without panic. In the constant courtyard-childish confrontation with local Ukrainians and Hungarians, fortitude and argumentation in verbal skirmishes on such topics were developed.
                        And now, like you, I can easily find any information on the Internet and in memoirs about that war, and I will not brush aside what you have given. It will never be superfluous for a better understanding of those events. Another thing is that it is unlikely to change my attitude to that specific special forces raid on the palace in Seoul, which I call a failed and senseless adventure. And the explosion of a passenger plane is a crime. I also find it uncomfortable to believe this and would like to find justifications or better yet, refutations, but I admit that such failures in state policy do happen. And the DPRK is not the first and not the last.
                  2. 0
                    26 October 2024 00: 27
                    No, Amin had no intention of "lying down" under the USA.
                    1. 0
                      26 October 2024 06: 25
                      No, Amin had no intention of "lying down" under the USA.

                      Sergey, did he tell you this personally? And he swore on my mother that he wanted... lol
                      1. +1
                        26 October 2024 13: 43
                        I studied the literature on this issue and came to the following conclusion. Amin was an ideological person, head and shoulders above Babrak Karmal in business qualities.
                      2. 0
                        27 October 2024 08: 15
                        Amin was a man of ideas, head and shoulders above Babrak Karmal in terms of business qualities.
                        You studied something written by someone about Amin and decided that this was what was wrong with his brain.... And all our analysts of that time naively believed that he would fall under the USA and arranged his overthrow. It turns out that everything was done in vain, it was necessary to leave the guy alone...?
                        Have you tried to advise the Americans something similar? So that they don't touch Castro, Bishop, Noriega, Saddam, Gaddafi and all sorts of Iranian generals of recent times. Or tell me - it's not our method?
                      3. 0
                        27 October 2024 14: 24
                        Yes, they were wrong. Leonid Ilyich, first of all, was offended because of the premature death of Taraki, who was removed from power, which, according to the Soviet secret services, occurred not without Amin's participation. I do not justify this act of Amin.
                      4. 0
                        28 October 2024 09: 54
                        It seems to me that you found a couple of articles describing Amin as not quite pro-American and chose for yourself this "perpendicular" to the official version. Sometimes you want to stand out from the crowd and show your uniqueness. Isn't that so?
                        But it is your right to remain "perpendicular" in this matter, and I have the right to disagree. If it has come to his liquidation, it means that all other methods of influence have had no effect and it has become clear that things will only get worse for us. In your opinion, should Amin have been forgiven for Taraki's murder and now be friends with him? I wonder how you are doing....
                        Amin would not have been able to remain "neither ours nor yours", "sit on two chairs" in any case. These "chairs" defended themselves too widely.
                      5. 0
                        28 October 2024 12: 04
                        There is no official, single version now. Many Soviet military advisers and KGB officers highly valued Amin's intellectual and business qualities, and not all of them supported the version of his cooperation with the CIA. No evidence of this was ever found. He was later accused of announcing the construction of a socialist state in backward Afghanistan too early. And in his views, he was a left-wing radical, a communist and at the same time a Pashtun nationalist. He greatly respected Stalin and Fidel Castro, some opponents even called him a Stalinist. He was not religious. He was Taraki's favorite student. Babrak Karmal was inferior to him in all respects as a leader. By the way, there was an assassination attempt on Amin first, when he was still prime minister. The storming of Amin's palace was a magnificent operation from a military point of view, but shameful from a political one.
          3. 0
            7 February 2025 11: 34
            . And most importantly, what did they achieve with this raid? Did they chop up several Americans and a hundred South Koreans?

            Well done Koreans!
        2. +1
          25 October 2024 11: 41
          After this action, North Korean special forces began to kill civilians who saw them. When the special forces from the submarine were making their way home, they killed several civilians and a military man on leave without a word.
          1. 0
            25 October 2024 12: 50
            I haven't heard. Please provide a reliable source.
            1. 0
              25 October 2024 14: 13
              Wikipedia. Gangneung incident.
            2. 0
              25 October 2024 14: 31
              В корейской Википедии чуть поболе расписано https://ko.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EA%B0%95%EB%A6%89%EC%A7%80%EC%97%AD_%EB%AC%B4%EC%9E%A5%EA%B3%B5%EB%B9%84_%EC%B9%A8%ED%88%AC%EC%82%AC%EA%B1%B4
              1. 0
                25 October 2024 14: 37
                I'll read it later. Thank you. I recommend using URL Shortener. For example, I installed the Url Shortener extension for Google Chrome ™ 3.0.0 (there seems to be no limit on the number of links).
      3. +15
        24 October 2024 10: 34
        No more than five saboteurs managed to return back
        One returned, was given the rank of general, and was awarded in every possible way...
        killed one and a half hundred police officers, soldiers, bodyguards and six American officers who served as military advisers to the President of South Korea.
        Cut down the sturgeon)) And it wasn't only the southerners who destroyed school buses.
        with a thick steel door that the special forces were unable to break down or blow up.
        They didn't reach this door..
        one was captured seriously wounded, 2 survived all the raids
        One returned home and became a general. One stayed there and became their priest. One blew himself up with a grenade during interrogation. Epic events...
        1. -2
          24 October 2024 13: 09
          One returned, was given the rank of general, and was awarded in every possible way...

          A private soldier was promoted to the rank of general? What did you say about the sturgeon? Two returned.
          They didn't reach this door..

          Have you been there? They say they got there.
          1. +5
            24 October 2024 16: 50
            Ok, one came back. Error.
            1. +2
              24 October 2024 21: 52
              When describing events, everyone turns to Wikipedia. However, Wikipedia is only a compilation of open data and is not the ultimate truth.
              Notable Operations of the DPRK Special Forces
              Thus, on January 21, 1968, a group of 31 DPRK special forces from Detachment No. 124, dressed in the uniform of the South Korean Armed Forces, attacked the residence of the President of South Korea, Chong Wa Dae (Blue House). During the ensuing battle with the police, six special forces were killed, the rest were captured until February 3. During the operation, another 22 special forces from the DPRK were killed, one was captured, two managed to break through back into North Korean territory .
              http://rb.gy/3753q9
            2. +2
              25 October 2024 04: 36
              We read the wiki article from which apparently everyone gets their knowledge http://rb.gy/o0xhrn
              Brief information in the frame on the right of the article:
              Losses
              29 killed (1 committed suicide)
              1 missing
              1 captured

              The text of the article itself:
              As a result, the special forces group was liquidated, losing 28 people killed, one person was declared missing. Two were captured, one of whom, Park Jae Gyong, was able to escape to the DPRK, where he received the rank of general, and the other, Kim Sin Do, after imprisonment became a priest in one of the churches in Seoul.
              That is, 1 returned to the DPRK immediately, and the 2nd escaped during interrogation and this follows from the article itself. That is, a contradiction in the wiki article itself. The quality of the article is "3-" even without this.
              The source is unique and does not inspire complete confidence.
              Scenes from an Unfinished War: Low-Intensity Conflict in Korea, 1966-1968. Retrieved 11 April 2012. Archived from the original on 17 September 2012.
    3. +9
      24 October 2024 10: 53
      So the author is Kirill Ryabov. All his articles are like this. A local celebrity!
    4. +9
      24 October 2024 11: 54
      Quote: Grandfather is an amateur
      I learned from the article: Special Operations Forces exist in the DPRK. They were created around the 60s. They are well trained, at the level of similar units from other countries. Oh, and they carried out a number of operations against South Korea.

      I remembered one DSP film about the special forces of the DPRK (shot by the Koreans themselves in the 60s), it was very impressive, I watched it in the mid-80s. The level of training - physical, tactical, combat, very high. Especially penetration of protected objects. And of course combat taekwondo.
      It would be very good if fighters of such a level of training appeared in the SVO zone, and they would benefit from practical experience of a real war, and we would be helped.
      1. +5
        24 October 2024 13: 17
        Have you looked at order number 28?
        1. RMT
          +6
          24 October 2024 16: 17
          Order No. 027 (1986) Myeongryeong 027ho. Directed by Jeon Gi-mo, Kim Eun-seok
          Screenplay by Ri Sang-wook
          1. +4
            24 October 2024 16: 40
            He is the one. Modern films of the DPRK on everyday topics. Similar to the USSR cinema of the early 80s.
            "Running to the Sky", "The Diary of a Schoolgirl", "The Promise" or "Wheels of Fortune"
    5. +4
      24 October 2024 21: 02
      Well, the first North Korean action movie about the Special Operations Forces, "Order 027", suggests that already in 1950, the DPRK had Special Operations Forces units... Well, how was it then... Here, with our eastern partners (and that's China and the DPRK, and India is in charge), judging by their movies, everything was... cool??
      1. +1
        25 October 2024 04: 28
        India rules in general. The way they come out, the way they sing, the way they dance... wassat
    6. +2
      25 October 2024 07: 29
      Actually, in my opinion, it was not worth publishing an entire article based on this information.
      But the author wants to eat, that's why he writes.
  3. 0
    24 October 2024 07: 00
    About 10-15 years ago, the DPRK Special Operations Forces conducted a special operation in the South Caucasus, there was incredible chaos. Both the South Koreans and the Americans were on edge. The DPRK sabotage submarine crashed during the landing, the crew was shot by the Special Operations Forces, the submarine was blown up. The Special Operations Forces went to break through back to the DPRK, out of 10 fighters, only one made it back. The rest heroically died in battle, "crushing" both the South Koreans and the Americans into cabbage. What he bought, he sold. If you read the Rabochaya Gazeta (DPRK), you can find materials (only photos about the Special Operations Forces). The physical training is extremely high. The warming of the South Caucasian frigate alone is worth something, and in the territorial waters of the South Caucasus.
    1. +4
      24 October 2024 07: 46
      They sank Cheonan, I remember the reports about it, there was a squeal in the West...
    2. +7
      24 October 2024 11: 19
      Quote: tralflot1832
      About 10-15 years ago

      A little more. In 1996. It was. Out of 13 people, one got out, another was captured (but this is not exact). In a straight line, "like a crow flies", there are about a hundred kilometers of mountains to the demarcation line. The submarine crew was really eliminated by shots to the back of the head. By the way, the interesting number of the squad, suggests that they are divided into combat trios (motivation is motivation, but it is better to have threes - "commander, commissar and traitor" laughing ).
      In general, all the actions of the DPRK Special Forces, both in 1968 and in 1996, are fully consistent with their positive and incendiary motto - "We do not spare you, and you do not spare us".
  4. 0
    24 October 2024 07: 25
    The one-of-a-kind US Navy disgrace "Pueblo" is docked in Pyongyang. How did it get there? bully I'm sick of you, you little bastard.
    1. +3
      24 October 2024 10: 59
      tralflot1832(Andrey S.), I consider the operation with Pueblo to be outstanding, unlike the raid on the presidential palace. I don't see any sense or continuation there, even if they managed to kill the president. In South Korea, these presidents change twice a year anyway, and I don't understand what the point was.
      But with the "Pueblo", which even ours were afraid to touch, although it regularly crawled into our territorial waters of Peter the Great Bay, conducting reconnaissance, the Koreans turned out to be bolder than us. And no matter how much the Americans whined and tried to prove that the boarding actually happened in neutral waters, this did not stop the Koreans.
      And then we know that the Americans managed to burn all the papers with codes for radio exchange and were sure that the equipment itself was pure scrap metal without these codes... But no, we had our own "mole" in the US Navy headquarters, who supplied us with all sorts of codes for the Pacific region for 20 years.
  5. +3
    24 October 2024 10: 51
    Cruel and unforgiving, just like Korean Terminators.
  6. +3
    24 October 2024 13: 17
    Order number 28 is a great movie about the DPRK special forces! Recommended for viewing, the movie stars real special forces soldiers.
  7. +2
    24 October 2024 16: 36
    Order No. 027 1986 film
  8. +4
    24 October 2024 19: 32
    [i][/i]The NSA (National Security Agency) of the USA is known for the fact that nothing is known about it. There is a saying in America. The article is about nothing.
  9. +1
    24 October 2024 22: 01
    [quote=smart fellow][quote]How soon[/quote]
    The enemy reports that on 23.10 they will arrive in the Kursk region and, after familiarizing themselves with the conditions of the fighting and the plans of the Russian command, will join the counter-terrorist operation on the territory of the region.
    [quote]in what form will they have to conduct combat work again[/quote]
    The Kursk region is currently experiencing muddy conditions and heavy enemy armored vehicles cannot drive through them. As I see it, the Ukrainian Armed Forces used the following tactics: after reconnoitring the situation using UAVs, one or more armored vehicles with anti-mine protection approached the positions of Russian troops and used mortars, automatic guns mounted on armored vehicles, small arms and grenade launchers to launch a fire attack. After using up their ammunition and planting mines to cover their retreat, they fled. Conscripts in unarmored Urals could not pursue them.

    Well, go to RenTV and tell them that conscript soldiers couldn't chase after the Ukrainian Armed Forces...
  10. +1
    24 October 2024 22: 16
    Special forces 200 thousand? And not special forces 2-3 million? And the population? 25-30 million? 10-15 percent - the army? And what for? After all, 10-15 percent of the population in the army, that's 15 percent of GDP to maintain the army. And what about children, education, health, science, housing construction, food? Or can we wait to give birth, feed, teach, cure and raise children?
    Maybe the special forces aren't that numerous after all?
    Do we have a million in the Airborne Forces? Or 10-15 million in the Ministry of Defense?
  11. 0
    29 October 2024 16: 36
    In 1967, North Korea sent a squadron armed with modern Soviet-made fighters to support communist North Vietnam. There is little open source information about this episode of the Vietnam War. It is known that between 87 and 200 North Koreans served in the squadron, at least 14 of whom were killed and buried in a military cemetery in Hanoi. The DPRK claims that its pilots shot down 26 American aircraft.

    North Korean pilots arrived in Vietnam in 1965 to gain combat experience, and took part in combat operations as part of separate squadrons until the end of 1968.
    200 pilots and technical personnel passed through Vietnam. Fourteen pilots were killed. One in 14, no losses in 1965, 1966 in 12 and one (the last) in February 1967.
    There were 3 squadrons - two on MiG-17 and one on MiG-21. All aircraft and logistics were Soviet, and the pilots and technical personnel were North Korean. The personal account of North Korean fighters was 26 aircraft, and together with the group shot down 50 US aircraft. But the most important thing is that this is only confirmation of the loss of aircraft by the American side, although some of them were attributed to anti-aircraft gunners or unknown reasons.