North Korea currently has one of the world’s largest armies with around 1.3 million active-duty soldiers. North Korea has not been directly involved in any major wars for over 70 years. Lack of battlefield experience is a source of considerable concern for North Korea anxious to counter South Korea’s more technologically advanced military.

North Korea has accused the United States of carrying out a "hostile military act" after a US Navy submarine docked in a port in South Korea, saying its military forces would "punish the provokers." The USS Alexandria submarine docked at the port in the city of Busan on Monday for supplies and for its crew to rest,