Social Security Forces ( ko, 조선사회안전군) is a North Korean
paramilitary force which performs various
internal security
Internal security is the act of keeping peace within the borders of a sovereign state or other Self-governance, self-governing territories, generally by upholding the national law and defending against internal security threats. Responsibility fo ...
and
border security
Border control refers to measures taken by governments to monitor and regulate the movement of people, animals, and goods across land, air, and maritime borders. While border control is typically associated with international borders, it ...
tasks. It has 11,000 to 140,000 troops.
Organization
In peacetime, it is under the command of the Ministry of Social Security, the principal law-enforcement agency, but in case of emergency, it is more heavily armed than the border guards of other countries because it is incorporated into the regular army. The commander of the Social Security Forces is concurrently the First deputy minister of Social Security, at some point of time
Ri Thae-chol ko, 리태철
History
The roots of the Social Security Forces began in 1947 with the creation of the 5th Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs which succeeded the 38th Guard Corps. With the separation of the Ministry of Social Security in October 1962, the People's Guard was created and placed under it. In the 1980s, the work of the Korean People's Guard was transferred to the Ministry of National Security, and it is understood that in October 1996, the border guard service was transferred to the Ministry of People's Armed Forces, the predecessor of the Ministry of National Defence. In 2010 the People's Guards Forces (Korean: 조선인민경비대) was changed to Korean People's Internal Security Forces (Korean: 조선인민내무군) and was subordinated to the
Ministry of People's Security
The Ministry of Social Security is a law enforcement agency in North Korea.
Unlike most ministers in North Korea, which operate under the Cabinet, the Ministry of Social Security is directly supervised by the State Affairs Commission. The cur ...
. On the June 28th, 2020, the Rodong Sinmun published the name 'Social Security Forces' in an article titled 'The Immediate Goal of Socialist Construction', saying, "The Social Security Force must successfully carry out the noble missions and duties of the Suyeong security, institutional security, and people's security."
People's Security Forces Renamed as ‘Social Security Forces’, an armed organization under the North Korean Social Security Agency, 28/07/2020, KBS News
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Tasks
The Korean People's Guard is known to be in charge of guarding the Military Demarcation Line, borders, and coasts, as well as major strategic facilities such as government offices, the Central Committee Yongbyon nuclear facilities, power plants and broadcasting facilities.
See also
*Law enforcement in North Korea
The Social Security Ministry and the State Security Department are responsible for internal security in North Korea. Although both are government organs, they are tightly controlled by the party apparatus through the Justice and Security Com ...
*Korean People's Army
The Korean People's Army (KPA; ) is the military force of North Korea and the armed wing of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). Under the '' Songun'' policy, it is the central institution of North Korean society. Currently, WPK General S ...
* Reserve Military Training Units
*Red Youth Guards
Red Youth Guards ( ko, 붉은청년근위대) is North Korea's youth paramilitary organization. The Red Youth Guard official anniversary is September 12, 1970. It was established under the direction of Kim Il-sung and is acting as a student mil ...
*Socialist Patriotic Youth League
The Socialist Patriotic Youth League is a North Korean youth organization. It is the main youth organization in North Korea. Directly under the party Central Committee, it is the only mass organization expressly mentioned in the charter of the ...
*Worker-Peasant Red Guards
The Worker-Peasant Red Guards (WPRG; ), also translated as Workers and Peasants' Red Militia (WPRM), is a paramilitary force in North Korea. It is the largest civil defense force in North Korea. It was established on 14 January 1959 by Kim Il-s ...
References
{{reflist
Law enforcement in North Korea
Government agencies of North Korea
Military of North Korea