North Korea’s Military Uniform Makeover

North Korea’s Air and Ground Forces uniforms have become similar to South Korea’s.

The iconic dark ochre plain uniforms of the North Korean military, once a symbol of North Korea’s armed forces, began to adopt a ‘digital pattern’ similar to that of South Korea a few years ago.

Recent images of the North Korean military have surfaced, showing uniforms strikingly similar to those of the South Korean military, drawing attention.

The military unit that appeared in the photos was the North Korean Air and Ground Forces Command. It wore uniforms with a digital pattern, unit patches, and simplified medals similar to those of the South Korean combat uniforms.

Last month, North Korea’s Kim Jong Un was seen observing the training of the Airborne Force unit with his daughter Kim Ju Ae. Footage reported by Korean Central Television shows North Korean soldiers wearing uniforms similar to those of the South Korean military.

North Korean military uniforms were originally dark ochre plain colors, but they have mostly been replaced with digital camouflage uniforms. It is speculated that North Korea imported military uniforms and fabric from China to produce these combat uniforms.

The uniforms worn by the Air and Ground Forces personnel revealed that day also have detachable unit patches on the forearm, similar to South Korean military uniforms. The uniforms even have Velcro tape attached, making them very similar in form to South Korean uniforms.

Upon seeing the changed North Korean military uniforms, military officials speculate that the airborne soldiers tasked with infiltrating the rear have adopted uniforms similar to those of the South Korean military to facilitate irregular operations when infiltrating the South Korean rear.

Additionally, the uniforms and rifles have been modified to fold or insert the buttstock, similar to the South Korean K2 rifle.

Previously, the North Korean military showcased its abilities by hanging large medals on its uniforms, but now it has adopted miniature rectangular simplified medals.

Because of this, the military authorities are closely monitoring how the uniforms of North Korean special forces are changing. Since North Korean military uniforms have become very similar to those of South Korea, plans are in place to identify features of North Korean uniforms that can specifically identify North Korean soldiers and respond accordingly. They also plan to check whether these uniforms are supplied to all units or just specific ones.

Since 2015, North Korea has been expanding the supply of uniforms similar to South Korean military uniforms to various units. Initially, only helmets had camouflage patterns, but now, all parts of the combat uniform are hidden, indicating that North Korean camouflage techniques are evolving.

Meanwhile, last month, after the South Korea-U.S. joint exercise Freedom’s Sentinel (FS), it was reported that numerous casualties occurred due to accidents such as parachutes not opening or getting tangled in strong winds during the airborne training that Chairman Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae personally attended.

At that time, despite the unfavorable weather conditions for airborne training, speculation arose that the accident occurred because the training was forced to show off, as Kim and his daughter Ju Ae were present.

A source in North Korea stated that although the weather conditions had deteriorated to the extent that the training time needed to be adjusted, the training had to be carried out regardless because the Kim family was attending. Military commanders were aware of the risk of accidents.

Typically, airborne training is heavily influenced by weather, and the South Korean military does not proceed with training if the wind speed exceeds 17 knots or 8.7 meters per second.

However, in North Korea, training was forced through despite the worsening weather, resulting in numerous soldiers, including young soldiers in their early twenties, falling and either dying or suffering severe injuries requiring hospitalization.