How large is North Korea's active military force?

• A. Over 1.3 million personnel.
• B. About 100,000 personnel.
• C. About 500,000 personnel.
• D. About 2 million personnel.

Answer: (A)

Active military force means the number of people currently serving full-time in the armed forces. North Korea maintains a very large standing army through broad conscription, prioritizing manpower to deter and defend despite economic limits. Across reputable estimates, the active force is placed around the low-to-mid millions, with figures often described as just over one million up to roughly 1.3 million. Describing it as over 1.3 million best reflects the upper end of those credible estimates, capturing the substantial scale North Korea fields for its army, air force, and navy as an active force. The smaller figures wouldn’t match the known size of its manpower, while a number as high as 2 million would be unusually large for the country’s population. So, the best description is a little more than one million service members on active duty.