As in the ROK Army, the infantry division is the cornerstone formation in the North Korean People's Army (NKPA). Derived from the World War II Soviet rifle division, the NKPA division has changed little except for the gradual evolution of increased firepower. The building blocks of the division are the three infantry regiments, each of which has three rifle battalions. These regiments are undistinguished except for the heavy mortar battalion (which in some cases may be consolidated with others in a mortar regiment at division level) and the light multiple rocket launcher (MRL) battery, which give it heavy indirect fire capability. Anti-tank assets are also stressed at the regimental level, with both a gun battery and an RPG company assigned. Division artillery is fully comparable, if not superior, to that found in an ROK division, and with the addition of an MRL battalion is definitely better. The organic tank, anti-tank, engineer and air defense battalions are fairly standard, but the assigned light infantry battalion (special-warfare trained) is unique. The "standard" version of the division, depicted in the diagram, is a model. Not all divisions have the same artillery complements; some may have assault guns instead of tanks; those near the DMZ have special police battalions attached; divisional mortars or MRLs may or may not be present; etc. As with the ROK division, there is a limited (but increasing) amount of motor transport available (up to 646 x 2 1/2-ton trucks) and most of that is with the artillery component. The NKPA independent infantry brigade is organized with three regiments, like the division, but is otherwise devoid of most supporting arms and services. The NKPA mechanized division is a low-grade copy of the Soviet motorized rifle division. Its three mechanized regiments each have three battalions mounted in wheeled APCs (Soviet BTR-60 types) although some units now have tracked BMP fighting vehicles. The organic tank regiment (3 battalions) uses obsolescent T-54/55 or T-62 series tanks and the recon battalion uses wheeled vehicles and Chinese versions of the Soviet PT-76 light tank. Division artillery is all self- propelled, and numerous other units may be attached. The armored division, again styled after the Soviet tank division, is organized like the mechanized division but with the proportion of mechanized and tank regiments reversed. The division in the diagram is "ideal" and extant NKPA armored divisions may diverge quite a bit from that model. Independent armored regiments and brigades are generally assigned to infantry corps for exploitation purposes, and are mainly reinforced tank regiments with a greater or lesser complement of supporting arms. Unconventional warfare units make up a considerable proportion of the NKPA. These consist of light infantry, airborne, reconnaissance and marine commando type units. The basic unit is the light infantry battalion, which can be broken down into small teams as necessary. It has slightly over 400 men and is divided into six companies of four platoons each. The battalion has 18 x 60mm mortars, 18-24 x RPG- 7 anti-tank grenade launchers (ATCL), 18 x RPD or RPK light machineguns, and an assortment of pistols and rifles. In addition it may be issued some specialty items such as man-pack AT-3 anti-tank missiles or SA-7 SAMs. Light infantry battalions are assigned on the basis of one per infantry division and nine per light infantry brigade. Light infantry brigades are assigned to corps and may be initially used to attempt tunnel infiltration of the DMZ. Light infantry battalions are also the basic units making up other unconventional warfare formations. A number of essentially light infantry brigades assigned at national level are airborne trained and earmarked for deployment behind enemy lines via An-2 light transport aircraft. Four others are trained for strategic reconnaissance. Three additional, smaller brigades (two to five battalions each) are amphibious light infantry (marines) and are organized for coastal raiding. NKPA combined arms brigades, of which five are known to exist, are organized and trained for assaulting the ROK's border fortifications using infiltration and shock action. Each brigade has three motorized infantry battalions, a light infantry battalion ' a tank battalion, two SP artillery battalions, a mortar battalion, an air defense battalion, an MRL battery and a recon company. Weapons include 31 x medium tanks, 3 x light tanks, 9 x APC's, 24 x self-propelled 152mm howitzers, 6 x 122mm MRL's, 12 x 120mm mortars, 27 x 82mm mortars, 18 x 60mm mortars, 12 x 107mm recoilless rifles, 18 x 23mm AA guns, and 173 x RPG7 ATGMs. Also above the division level are a number of army assets including engineer river crossing regiments, SAM and AA gun regiments, and a few FROG surface-to-surface missile battalions. Each corps has one or more three-battalion regiments of 152mm gun-howitzers, 130mm guns, and 122mm/240mm MRLs, as well as a corps engineer regiment and a couple of AA gun regiments. The NKPA has certainly been equipped with a proliferation of heavy weapons and combat vehicles, not all of which may be suitable for most Korean terrain, nor sustainable in extended combat. The real question mark is troop quality. There may be lots of political indoctrination, even fanaticism, but compared to the quality of today's ROK and US troops, the NKPA might well come up short. The Units of Korea'95 The Next War in Korea South Korean Organization North Korean Organization US Army US Marines The Air Picture (North and South) Back to Table of Contents: CounterAttack # 4 To CounterAttack List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1993 by Pacific Rim Publishing Company. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com