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MILITARYUPDATED 24 OCT 2026

North Korea's war machine

More than a million troops, about 60 nuclear warheads, missiles that can reach the United States and a border fortified for 70 years. Everything that is publicly known - where it is, what it can do, and who controls it.

The mapNuclearMissilesArmyNavyAir forceSpecial forces and cyberRussiaDMZ
1.32m
Active troops
Fourth-largest army in the world. Source
~60
Nuclear warheads
Assembled as of January 2026, with material for at least 90. SIPRI. Source
~26%
Of the economy goes on the military
2019 estimate. Source
10 yrs
Military service for men
Up to ten years from age 17; women up to eight. Source
200,000
Special forces
One of the largest in the world, says South Korea. Source
10,000+
Troops sent to fight for Russia
Around 2,000 believed killed, says Seoul. Source
Where it is

The bases

35 nuclear, missile, air force, navy and army sites identified publicly by governments and researchers. Locations are approximate; dashed rings mark undeclared bases whose position is only roughly known.

CHINASOUTH KOREAEAST SEAYELLOW SEADMZFORWARD ARTILLERY ZONESEOULPYONGYANGYongbyon Nuclear Research Centre1Kangson2Pyongsan uranium mill3Punggye-ri test site4Sohae launch station5Pyongyang Sunan airport6Tonghae (Musudan-ri)7Hoejung-ni missile base8Sino-ri missile base9Sakkanmol missile base10Sunchon air base11Pukchang air base12Uiju air base13Wonsan (Kalma) air base14Hwangju air base15Nampo - West Sea Fleet HQ16Haeju naval base17Toejo-dong - East Sea Fleet HQ18Sinpo shipyard19Chaho submarine base20Najin naval base21Kaechon air base22Sonchon air base23Panghyon air base24Taechon air base25Mirim airfield26Onchon air base27Kwail air base28Taetan air base29Koksan air base30Toksan air base31Sondok air base32Riwon (Iwon) air base33Orang air base34820th Armoured Corps35
NuclearMissile and spaceAir forceNavyArmyDMZForward artillery zone (illustrative)
Nuclear
  1. 1
    Yongbyon Nuclear Research Centre

    Reactors that make plutonium, plus a uranium enrichment plant first shown to a US scientist in 2010.

  2. 2
    Kangson

    Suspected secret uranium enrichment site. Kim toured an enrichment hall in 2024 - the first one ever shown.

  3. 3
    Pyongsan uranium mill

    Turns uranium ore into "yellowcake", the raw material for bombs.

  4. 4
    Punggye-ri test site

    Tunnels under Mount Mantap where all six nuclear tests took place. Said to be ready for a seventh.

Missile
  1. 5
    Sohae launch station

    Main space-rocket site - the same technology as long-range missiles.

  2. 6
    Pyongyang Sunan airport

    The capital's airport, used as the launch point for several ICBM tests.

  3. 7
    Tonghae (Musudan-ri)

    Older east-coast launch site used for early long-range rockets.

  4. 8
    Hoejung-ni missile base approx.

    Undeclared base near the Chinese border, built for intercontinental missiles (CSIS).

  5. 9
    Sino-ri missile base approx.

    Undeclared base for Nodong medium-range missiles, about 212 km north of the DMZ (CSIS).

  6. 10
    Sakkanmol missile base approx.

    Undeclared short-range missile base about 85 km north of the DMZ (CSIS).

Air force
  1. 11
    Sunchon air base

    Home of the 55th Air Fighter Wing - Su-25 attack jets and MiG-29s, the newest fighters.

  2. 12
    Pukchang air base

    MiG-23, MiG-29 and MiG-21 fighter units.

  3. 13
    Uiju air base

    Il-28 bombers near the Chinese border - designs from the 1940s.

  4. 14
    Wonsan (Kalma) air base

    East-coast fighter base, now next to Kim's Kalma beach resort.

  5. 15
    Hwangju air base

    MiG-21 fighters close to the DMZ.

  6. 22
    Kaechon air base

    Headquarters of the 1st Air Combat Division, flying J-6 (MiG-19) fighters.

  7. 23
    Sonchon air base

    MiG-23 fighters in the north-west.

  8. 24
    Panghyon air base

    Fighter base near Kusong - also used to launch an ICBM test in 2017.

  9. 25
    Taechon air base

    Air base north of Pyongyang.

  10. 26
    Mirim airfield

    Pyongyang airfield where troops rehearse for military parades.

  11. 27
    Onchon air base

    West-coast air base near Nampo.

  12. 28
    Kwail air base

    MiG-21 fighters near the west coast.

  13. 29
    Taetan air base

    Forward base close to the sea border with the South.

  14. 30
    Koksan air base

    MiG-21 fighters about 60 km north of the DMZ.

  15. 31
    Toksan air base

    Il-28 bombers near Hamhung.

  16. 32
    Sondok air base

    Transport division HQ, with An-2 biplanes built to drop special forces behind lines.

  17. 33
    Riwon (Iwon) air base

    MiG-21 fighters on the east coast.

  18. 34
    Orang air base

    J-6 (MiG-19) fighters near Chongjin in the far north-east.

Navy
  1. 16
    Nampo - West Sea Fleet HQ

    Fleet headquarters and shipyard where the new Choe Hyon destroyers were launched in 2025.

  2. 17
    Haeju naval base

    Front-line base beside the disputed sea border with the South.

  3. 18
    Toejo-dong - East Sea Fleet HQ

    Headquarters of the larger eastern fleet.

  4. 19
    Sinpo shipyard

    Builds the submarines that fire missiles from under the sea.

  5. 20
    Chaho submarine base

    One of the main submarine bases on the east coast.

  6. 21
    Najin naval base

    Far north-east port near Russia, also a ferry link to Vladivostok.

Army
  1. 35
    820th Armoured Corps

    The main tank corps, based at Sariwon. Its war job: break through to South Korea's rear.

The bomb

Nuclear weapons

Six tests, each bigger than the last. The 2017 blast was several times the Hiroshima bomb (about 15 kt). Four of the six came under Kim Jong Un.

1
Oct 2006
Estimated yield under 1 kt
2
May 2009
Estimated yield 2-5 kt
3
Feb 2013
Estimated yield 6-7 kt
4
Jan 2016
Estimated yield ~10 kt
5
Sep 2016
Estimated yield 10-20 kt
6
Sep 2017
Estimated yield 100-250 kt
Yields are outside estimates. Source: List of North Korean nuclear tests. Sites 1-4 on the map.
What it fires

The missiles

From short-range strikes on the South to intercontinental missiles aimed at the US. At least 12 ballistic launches so far in 2026.

ICBM

Hwasong-19

Solid-fuel and truck-launched. Its October 2024 test flew for 86 minutes - the longest of any North Korean missile.

ICBM

Hwasong-18

The first solid-fuel ICBM, tested from April 2023. Solid fuel means it can be fired within minutes, not hours.

ICBM

Hwasong-17

The giant liquid-fuel "monster missile", tested in 2022. In range of the whole United States.

Hypersonic

Hwasong-16B

Intermediate-range missile with a glide vehicle built to dodge defences. Can reach US bases on Guam.

Short-range

Hwasong-11 (KN-23)

Low-flying missile aimed at South Korea - and supplied to Russia, which has fired it at Ukraine.

Submarine

Sea-launched missiles

Pukguksong and Hwasong-11S missiles fired from the Sinpo-class submarine. A nuclear-powered submarine was shown in March 2025.

Watch our missiles explainer for why the tests keep coming.
Ground force

The army

About 70% of the army sits south of the Pyongyang-Wonsan line - close to the border, pointed at Seoul.

~1m
Ground troops
IISS estimate, 2017. Source
4,300
Tanks
Many are old Soviet designs; the newest is the Chonma-ho family. Source
8,600
Artillery guns
Plus 5,500 rocket launchers. South Korea, 2018. Source
25m
People in range around Seoul
Heavy artillery near the DMZ can reach northern Seoul and its suburbs. Source
In the air

The air force

Plenty of planes, very few modern ones. North Korea makes up for it with one of the densest air defence networks in the world.

~570
Combat aircraft
Mostly decades-old Soviet and Chinese designs. 2024 estimate. Source
35
MiG-29s
Its most modern fighter - first built in the 1980s. Source
80
Il-28 bombers
A design that first flew in 1948. Source
110,000
Air force personnel
The second-largest branch. Source
The hidden forces

Special forces and cyber

The parts of the military designed to hit where the enemy isn't looking.

200,000
Special operations troops
Trained to slip into the South by tunnel, sea or light aircraft in a war. Source
$1.5bn
Biggest crypto heist ever
Bybit, February 2025. The FBI blamed North Korea's Lazarus hackers. Source
$2bn
Crypto stolen in 2025
A record year, according to Chainalysis. UN experts say it funds weapons.
4
Tunnels found under the DMZ
Dug to move troops south. Discovered 1974-1990; more are suspected. Source
At war abroad

Fighting for Russia

For the first time in decades, North Korean troops are fighting in a foreign war.

10,000+
Troops sent since 2024
Mostly to Russia's Kursk region. Source
~2,000
Believed killed
South Korea's spy agency, briefing MPs. Source
2024
Mutual defence pact
Kim and Putin promised military help if either is attacked.
$20bn
Estimated earnings
Mostly from artillery shells, says a South Korean defence institute.
The border

The DMZ

The most heavily armed border on earth - and the war it divides never officially ended.

250 km
Long
Coast to coast across the peninsula. Source
4 km
Wide
2 km each side of the line where the fighting stopped. Source
1953
Armistice
No peace treaty was ever signed. Source
50 km
From Seoul
Roughly London to Luton. Source

Since 2024 Kim Jong Un has called South Korea a separate "hostile state". His troops have laid mines, built walls and blown up roads and rail links on their side. This month Kim Yo Jong toured the new fortifications.

Who gives the orders

The chain of command

Kim Jong Un
Supreme Commander
Sole authority over nuclear weapons, under a 2022 law.
Kim Song Gi
Defence minister
Appointed August 2026 after No Kwang Chol was sacked. Source

Who controls the button?

Meet Kim Jong Un, his family and the officials around him.

See who's who
Sources

Where this comes from

Military figures vary widely between sources and years. We use the most recent public estimates and link each one.