North Korean Worker-Peasant Militia

The organization was founded due to a shortage of troops following the withdrawal of Chinese forces that had participated in the Korean War in April 1958. It was officially established with an initial strength of 500,000 members, drawn from workers, farmers, intellectuals, and students.

Initially, members were expected to balance military training with their civilian work. However, in 1962, the policy of arming the entire population led to an expansion of the organization to include men aged 18 to 45 and single women aged 18 to 35. This expansion continued; by 1971, the eligible age for the Workers' and Peasants' Red Guards was extended to 50, and the target demographic for formation included all men and single women aged 17 to 60 who were not assigned to prison guard duties. This structure remains in place today.

These fighters make up a large portion of the man-power available to the North Korean Military. They have little training and are typically equipped with legacy weaponry. They carry a mixture of Type-58, Mosin-Nagants, Type-49, RPG-2, DP-27 and RPDs. Many of them wouldn't look out of place fighting in the Korean War, with their simple clothing, haversacks and rice bags.