page_title: Korean People's Army Ground Force
section_title: Current status
hierarchical_section_title: Korean People's Army Ground Force / Current status
caption_attribution_description: English: Soldiers from the Korean People's Army look south while on duty in the Joint Security Area U.S. Army official Korean Demilitarized Zone image archive
context_page_description: The Korean People's Army Ground Force is the main branch of the Korean People's Army, responsible for land-based military operations.
context_section_description: The overwhelming majority of active ground forces are deployed in three echelons — a forward operational echelon of four infantry corps; supported by a second operational echelon of two mechanized corps, the armor corps, and an artillery corps; and a strategic reserve of the two remaining mechanized corps and the other artillery corps. These forces include the 806th and 815th Mechanized Corps and the 820th Armored Corps. These forces are garrisoned along major north-south lines of communication that provide rapid, easy access to avenues of approach into South Korea. The KPAGF has positioned massive numbers of artillery pieces, including some fakes, especially its longer-range systems, close to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that separates the two Koreas.
   As of 2013, the US Department of Defense has reported the ground forces in number totals 950,000 in strength.
caption: North Korean soldiers at the DMZ
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