Army comparison: 
South Korea vs 
North Korea
South Korea's army fields 13,232 active vehicles — 2.0:1 North Korea's 6,537. Additionally, South Korea has 3,400 and North Korea has 0 vehicles in storage.
ARMS (Armour and Manpower Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
South KoreaWorld #5
58.9
ARMS Index / 100
South Korea leads on 7 of 8 categories
North KoreaWorld #10
37.0
South Korea
North Korea
Bars: weighted contribution to the ARMS Index (vehicles × category weight × era, active + 0.3 × stored; manpower and the rotary, armament and availability multipliers apply on top) · figures: active vehicles at each side's latest inventory year · Methodology
Key figures as of 2026
| South Korea | North Korea | Ratio | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total vehicles | 13,232 | 6,537 | 🇰🇷 2.0× |
| In storage | 3,400 | 0 | 🇰🇷 |
| On order | 720 | 0 | 🇰🇷 |
| Main battle tanks | 1,814 | 4,235 | 🇰🇵 2.3× |
| Artillery pieces | 5,745 | 0 | 🇰🇷 |
| Armoured fighting vehicles | 5,673 | 2,302 | 🇰🇷 2.5× |
| Active military personnel (all branches) | 500,000 | 1,280,000 | 🇰🇵 2.6× |
| Reserve military personnel (all branches) | 3,100,000 | 600,000 | 🇰🇷 5.2× |
Show full breakdown · 5 more rowsHide the 5 extra rows
| Infantry fighting vehicles | 536 | 32 | 🇰🇷 17× |
| Armoured personnel carriers | 3,127 | 1,710 | 🇰🇷 1.8× |
| Self-propelled artillery | 2,480 | 0 | 🇰🇷 |
| Towed artillery | 2,800 | 0 | 🇰🇷 |
| Rocket artillery | 465 | 0 | 🇰🇷 |
Backbone vehicles most numerous in service
Analyst Assessment
Run the wargame simulation →Verdict
Edge: South Korea
South Korea holds the overall edge over North Korea on the ground: a smaller but far more modern force of 1,814 tanks, 5,745 artillery pieces and 13,232 active vehicles, backed by domestic production and 720 vehicles on order. North Korea offsets this with mass — 1.28 million active troops and 4,235 mostly legacy tanks — plus terrain and proximity to Seoul, but its fleet is largely Cold War vintage with no recorded reserve stocks or orders.
Domain by domain
Armour
Edge: South Korea
🇰🇷 South Korea1,814 tanks, overwhelmingly modern: 1,511 K1A1 Rokit plus 260 K2 Black Panther with autoloaders, hydropneumatic suspension and current fire control. Fewer hulls, but composite armour, thermal sights and networked gunnery across the fleet.
🇰🇵 North Korea4,235 tanks — roughly 2.3 times as many — but 1,600 T-54/T-55/TM-800 and 800 T-62 derivatives are 1950s-60s designs. Only 250 Pokpung-ho and 10 Cheonma-2 approach modern standards; 1,400 Chonma-ho are T-62 developments.
Artillery & rocket forces
Even
🇰🇷 South Korea5,745 pieces: 1,240 K9 Thunder and 1,040 K55 self-propelled guns, 2,800 towed KH179 and M114, and 465 rocket launchers including 367 K239 Chunmoo. Counter-battery radar and shoot-and-scoot practice underpin the arm.
🇰🇵 North KoreaThe dataset records no artillery or rocket systems, which is a gap rather than a finding — the KPA is publicly known to field very large tube and multiple-launcher inventories, much of it hardened and ranged on the border area. Unquantified here.
Mechanised infantry
Edge: South Korea
🇰🇷 South Korea5,673 armoured fighting vehicles: 466 K21 IFVs (120 more on order), 2,500 K200 and 500 K808 White Tiger carriers, plus 2,000 K151 Raycolt light vehicles. Broadly protected, mobile and communications-equipped.
Reserves & mobilisation
Even
🇰🇷 South Korea500,000 active soldiers with 3,100,000 reserves under conscription, giving depth for prolonged defence and rotation, though a shrinking cohort constrains long-term manpower.
🇰🇵 North Korea1,280,000 active — the larger standing army by a wide margin — but 600,000 reserves, so the total mobilisable pool is roughly half South Korea's. Equipping mobilised formations is the binding constraint.
Sustainment & industry
Edge: South Korea
🇰🇷 South KoreaDomestic production of K2, K9, K21 and K808 sustains the force; 3,400 vehicles in storage and 720 on order, including 600 K808 CPV. Spares, upgrades and ammunition are produced nationally.
🇰🇵 North KoreaNo vehicles recorded in storage and none on order. Legacy Soviet and Chinese types are maintained through indigenous overhaul under sanctions, limiting fleet renewal and complicating spares for the newest Pokpung-ho and Cheonma-2.
Wildcards
- Terrain and depth Mountainous, compartmented ground and few axes favour the defender and blunt armoured mass, while Seoul's proximity to the border compresses South Korean reaction time and reduces the depth available for manoeuvre defence.
- Alliance access South Korea's ground forces are structured around combined operations with a resident allied partner, adding enablers, munitions stocks and reinforcement routes that a bilateral vehicle count does not capture.
- Sanctions and spares Long-standing export controls constrain North Korean access to modern optics, engines and fire-control components, so ageing fleets are sustained rather than replaced — consistent with zero recorded storage or orders.
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Analysis generated by a language model from the figures on this page and public sources; it is an informed reading, not a military assessment or a prediction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which country has more armored vehicles, South Korea or North Korea?
South Korea has a larger ground force with 13,232 vehicles compared to North Korea's 6,537 vehicles.
Which country has more tanks, South Korea or North Korea?
North Korea operates more main battle tanks with 4,235 compared to South Korea's 1,814.
Which army has more infantry fighting vehicles, South Korea or North Korea?
South Korea has 536 infantry fighting vehicles compared to North Korea's 32.
Which country has more armored personnel carriers, South Korea or North Korea?
South Korea operates 3,127 APCs compared to North Korea's 1,710.
Which country has more artillery systems, South Korea or North Korea?
South Korea fields 5,745 artillery systems (self-propelled, towed, and MLRS) compared to North Korea's 0.
How do the South Korea and North Korea armies compare in size?
South Korea's army is 2.0 times larger than North Korea's in terms of total vehicles (13,232 vs 6,537).