# M-1978 Koksan

M-1978 Koksan (Korean: M-1978 곡산; Hanja: M-1978 谷山), a name used by US military analysts, known by its makers as the Chuch'ep'o (Juche Cannon; Korean: 주체포; Hanja: 主體砲), is a North Korean self-propelled 170 mm (6.7 in) gun based on the Type 59 tank chassis.

## Development

According to Jane's, the Koksan is based on a Chinese Type 59 tank chassis, while Mitzer and Oliemans note the possibility of being a Soviet T-54/T-55 tank chassis instead. The 170 mm gun is in an open mount with no superstructure and is stabilized when firing by two large folding spades at the rear. It also has a multislotted muzzle brake (but no fume extractor) and probably a power rammer. Elevation and traverse appear to be powered, although gun traverse is very limited to avoid overstressing the chassis. The gun has a range that would allow it to strike Seoul from the Korean Demilitarized Zone. The range appears to have determined the choice of caliber.
According to Jane's, the 170 mm gun may be a Russian naval gun or coastal artillery system supplied to North Korea in the 1950s. After these were replaced in the coastal defence role by guided missiles, the retired guns could have been used to create the Koksan; another suggestion is that it was based on the German World war 2 era 17 cm Kanone 18. There is no evidence for any of this, and it may have been an entirely North Korean development.
The M-1978 version does not have enough space for the gun crew and ammunition, requiring another vehicle to carry the remainder of the crew and some of the ammunition. The M-1989 can carry 12 rounds on board.
Jane's states that the M-1978 is probably fitted with an NBC protection system and infrared night vision sights for the driver. Like the Type 59 tank, the M-1978 can lay its own smokescreen by injecting diesel fuel into the exhaust.
In 1989, a new version of the Koksan appeared, designated the M-1989. It uses the same gun and mount of the M-1978, but is mounted on a modified ATS tracked artillery tractor chassis.
Unlike its predecessor, the M-1989 has occasionally been put on public display by the North Koreans during parades and news broadcasts. One example has also been seen on display at International Defence Exhibition and Conference 2005 in the United Arab Emirates.

## History

Very little information is available due to the secretive nature of the North Korean government. The designations M-1978 and Koksan were given to the type by US military analysts, as they first became aware of it in that year in Koksan, North Korea.
What is known is that it is a 170 mm (6.69 in) self-propelled gun of the open-turret type. It was first seen publicly during a military parade in 1985. At least one example has been acquired by the United States, likely taken from examples captured by Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War.
Little is publicly known about how North Korea organizes and deploys its artillery. It has been suggested that battalions equipped with M-1978s and M-1989s have 12 guns, 20-30 trucks and 150-190 personnel, organized into a battalion headquarters and three batteries with four guns per battery. Battalions are organized into a brigade consisting of 3 to 6 battalions, with a brigade headquarters and supporting engineer, air-defense and target acquisition units.
In 1987, several M-1978s were supplied to Iran and used during the Iran–Iraq War. Some of them were damaged, destroyed, or captured by Iraqi forces.
A number of the captured Iranian guns were placed on public display. At least one of these was recovered by US Marines in 2008 from the campus of the University of Anbar.

### Known operational use
#### Iran–Iraq War

Iran used the weapon system around Al-Faw and for strikes on Kuwaiti oil production facilities.

#### Al Anbar University

A Koksan artillery piece was towed to University of Anbar around the 29 May 2003. At this time, soldiers from the United States 2/5 Field Artillery Battalion had been occupying the grounds of the university. The self-propelled weapon was towed to the university grounds so that it could be returned with the unit as a trophy, an idea that was eventually abandoned. At this time soldiers from the 2/5 Battalion disabled the gun with a thermite device. Eventually, the 2/5 Battalion was reassigned to a new area of operations and the cannon was left at the university.

#### Russian invasion of Ukraine

On 14 November 2024, OSINT analysis geolocated the M-1989 Koksan being transported by rail in the city of Krasnoyarsk. Ukrainian intelligence sources claimed that Russia had acquired at least 50 M-1989 Koksans by mid-November. Defence analysts told NK News that the transfer of Koksans would help Russia reinforce its arsenal of heavy artillery such as the 2S7 Pion and 2S7M Malka, and that North Korea would probably send artillery crews to operate them. In November 2024, the Ukrainian Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) reported that over 60 M-1989 Koksans were in Russia, some of which would be transferred to the Saratov Artillery Command School for training purposes.
As of January 2025 it was not clear if these were exclusively used by North Korean troops in Kursk, or supplied to Russia. On 22 January 2025 the head of the HUR, Lt. General Kyrylo Budanov told The War Zone that Russia had been provided with 120 M-1989 Koksans in the previous three months, and that North Korea "will likely send at least as many more in the future".
In February 2025, the 412th Separate Regiment "Nemesis" of the Ukrainian Unmanned System Forces claimed on its Telegram channel that its forces destroyed a Koksan in Luhansk oblast. Footage of the claimed attack was also published by the regiment on Telegram.

## Operators
### Current

* Iran − M-1978 variant
* North Korea

### Possible

* Russia − 120, according to the Ukrainian Chief of Intelligence Kyrylo Budanov. It's not known if they are exclusively used by North Korean troops deployed in the Kursk region, or if they were supplied to Russia

### Former

* Iraq − Captured from Iran
* United Arab Emirates − Received some M-1989 Koksans, no longer operational