North Korea's military has been thrust into the spotlight after the United States, along with South Korea and Ukraine, accused Pyongyang of sending thousands of troops to Russia, potentially to train them to fight in the war in Ukraine, reports " ;Reuters".
Here are some facts and assessments of what is known about the Korean People's Army (KPA) and other elements of the North's armed forces:
How many soldiers does North Korea have?
The KNA, with approximately 1.3 million active personnel, is one of the largest militaries in the world, outnumbered only by much larger nations such as China and the United States.
According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, North Korea probably has about 600,000 reservists and 5.7 million workers and peasants Red Guard reservists.
KNA is divided into an army, air force, navy and strategic forces armed with ballistic missiles that can be equipped with nuclear warheads.
North Korea is one of the most militarized societies in the world, and all males between the ages of 17 and 30 must register for military service lasting between 3 and 12 years.
The Air Force is believed to have about 110,000 personnel and the Navy 60,000.
Is North Korea's military strong?
North Korea is one of nine countries in the world known to possess nuclear weapons.
It has built a range of missiles that it claims can be armed with atomic bombs, from short-range tactical weapons to huge intercontinental ballistic missiles with a potential range to reach anywhere in the United States.
The KNA has a huge amount of conventional military equipment, although much of it is obsolete. This includes Soviet-era tanks such as the T-34, Chinese models, as well as domestically produced tanks such as the Chonma-ho or Songun-ho.
The KNA's armored and mechanized units have more than 6,900 tanks and armored vehicles, according to the South Korean Army's 2022 Defense White Paper
The Air Force has more than 400 fighter jets, 80 light bombers and over 200 transport aircraft.
However, many of the country's aircraft date back to the Soviet era, with some estimates ranging from 40 to 80 years old, and are not serviceable or part of the active fleet.
The Korean People's Army Navy has about 470 ships, including guided missile boats, torpedo boats, small patrol boats and fire support boats.
They also include about 70 submarines, including ships of the "Romeo" class. from Soviet times and small submarines.
Over the past few years, North Korea has been beefing up its navy with new nuclear weapons, including an underwater drone, warships and its first operational missile submarine.
How does North Korea use its military?
Most of the North's military is stationed near the 248-kilometer demilitarized zone border that separates the country from South Korea.
KNA tried to compensate for the alleged shortcomings by emphasizing the so-called asymmetric capabilities - special operations forces, weapons of mass destruction such as chemical and biological weapons, and artillery aimed at Seoul.
Pyongyang's nuclear development of ballistic missiles has also played a larger role in its strategic thinking. North Korea says its arsenal of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles is needed to counter threats from the United States and its allies, which fought the North during the 1950-1953 Korean War.
According to South Korea's white paper, North Korea's military has 6,800 cyber warfare personnel who are developing new technologies to strengthen North Korea's cyber forces.
How much does North Korea spend on defense?
Between 2010 and 2020, military spending amounts to about 20%-30% of North Korea's GDP per year.
In January, the country announced that it would spend nearly 16% of government spending on defense.