Is the North Korean Military Loyal to the Kim Regime?

With almost 30% of its population serving in the armed forces (1.28 million active personnel), North Korea boasts the fifth-largest military in the world. Despite this ranking not matching its actual military strength, the Korean People's Army (KPA) remains a threat to neighboring countries, particularly South Korea.

The world's fifth-largest military performs two essential roles in ensuring the security of the Kim regime: defending against external threats and protecting against internal ones. So it has been crucial for the Kim family to maintain the loyalty of the KPA by supporting the military even during times of famine.

However, compared to the eras of Kim Jong Un's father and grandfather, the loyalty of the KPA to the Kim regime has significantly weakened. The ongoing challenging circumstances, including food shortages, the influence of South Korean pop culture, repeated failures of Kim's diplomatic endeavors with the U.S., and more, could be leading to one of the lowest points in the morale of the North Korean military in the country's history.

The diminished loyalty of the KPA poses a significant danger to the Kim regime as they hold the power and weapons to overthrow the regime unlike the ordinary North Korean citizens. Therefore, Kim Jong Un has exercised extreme caution regarding any signs of rebellion within his military.

On September 13, North Korean state media published an odd photo depicting special operations forces participating in target practice, while Kim's armed bodyguards stood watch over them as Kim Jong Un watched closely from a distance. (See image below)

The photo could indicate that Kim Jong Un is ramping up his personal security measures due to his fear of a possible rogue attack from his military. This could be seen as proof of the level of fear and insecurity that the Kim regime is facing, even from within its own military.

Under this circumstance, South Korea's resumption of anti-North Korea propaganda loudspeaker broadcasting at the border has exacerbated the challenges faced by Kim and his regime. While North Korea continues to send trash balloons to the South, the daily transmission of anti-Kim Jong Un messages targeting the North Korean military presents a significantly greater threat to the Kim regime, due to the lack of loyalty within his military.

Despite Kim trying to show off his nuclear muscle to the world, it is evident that he greatly fears that his life and regime could be toppled from within. If a message of hope and freedom continues to be sent to the North Korean people despite Kim's nuclear threats, the end of the Kim regime's 70-year tyranny could come suddenly and unexpectedly.

Author: B.J. Choi, founder of NVNK, obtained his Master's degree in Asian Studies from the George Washington University. He previously worked for the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (WWICS) on North Korea issues.