North Korea marks Military Foundation Day 2012

Military Foundation Day marks anti-Japanese gu...

Wikipedia-Gilad Rom

North Korea commemorate Military Foundation Day; the establishment of the Korean People's Army (KPA).

In its entirety, the North Korean army consists of Air Ground Corps, Navy, Air Force, Special Operation Forces and an artillery guidance bureau, with a over 1 million active and another 8 million reserve personnel.

Officially known as the DPR Korea, the communistic state is known to allocate some US$6 billion in budgeted funds towards the maintenance and growth of the KPA.

Conscription into the KPA starts at the age of 17 for both males and females and remain in service for a total of 10 years, fulfilling duties at farms and factories when not trading arms.

Although founded on February 8, 1948, KPA national foundation day is believed to have been officially established on April 25 of 1932 in recognition of anti-Japanese guerrilla efforts by late Kim Il-sung during the 'Mukden Incident'.

Also known as the Manchurian Incident, Mukden encompassed a Japanese-led military invasion of the Northern part of China (Manchuria) in 1931.

That move led Kim Il-sung to ally with the Chinese National Revolution Army, both sides who felt the defeat of an imperial Japanese invasion.

Manchuria was claimed by the Japanese Kwantung Army and turned into a 'puppet state' within five months despite a considerably larger Chinese-led military force and their occupation remained until the end of World War II.