Supreme Guard Command () (also known as Unit 963, the Escort Bureau, Guard Command, Guard Bureau and the General Guard Bureau) is the personal bodyguard force tasked with the protection of

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and ...

's ruling

Kim family The Kim family or Kim clan may refer to: People * The Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il Sung in 1948 * The Gimhae Kim clan associated with the Geumgwan Gaya * The later rulers of Silla, who were mostly members of the ...

. The current Supreme Guard commander is General

Yun Jong-rin Yun Jong-rin (born 1938) is a general of the Korean People's Army Ground Force. From 2010 until 2019, he served as the commander of North Korea's Supreme Guard Command, when he was replaced by Kwak Chang-sik. The force is responsible for the p ...

Naming

North Korea's ruling family are claimed to be superstitious and so the Command's designation number is in reference to the

numerological Numerology (also known as arithmancy) is the belief in an occult, divine or mystical relationship between a number and one or more coinciding events. It is also the study of the numerical value, via an alphanumeric system, of the letters ...

construct "9 and 6+3=9" (double nine), the number "9" being considered lucky.

History

According to official history, the Command participated in the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top: ...

(known in North Korea as the "Fatherland Liberation War"). The unit has also produced 72 " heroes of labor" and 28 " heroes of the Republic". The first incarnation of the Command was created in 1946. Between 1970-mid 1990s the Command was part of the State Security Department. However, to deal with several coup attempts, Kim Jong-il reorganized the Guard by dismissing dozens of officers and expanding his own private bodyguard unit by 200 men and named it the "2.16 Unit". On April 27, 2018, the SGC was deployed to protect Kim Jong-un during his visit to Panmunjon.

Organization

The Command falls under the

Korean People's Army Ground Force The Korean People's Army Ground Force (KPAGF; ) is the main branch of the Korean People's Army, responsible for land-based military operations. History The Korean People's Army Ground Force was formed on August 20, 1947. It outnumbered and ou ...

and is divided into approximately six departments, three combat brigades, several bodyguard divisions, and one construction battalion. The unit is composed of 95,000-120,000 personnel. Bodyguard divisions are divided into at least two sections, ''Section 1'' was dedicated to the protection of

Kim Il-sung Kim Il-sung (; , ; born Kim Song-ju, ; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he ruled from the country's establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of ...

and ''Section 2'' protected Kim Jong-il. It is unknown if

Kim Jong-un Kim Jong-un (; , ; born 8 January 1982) is a North Korean politician who has been Supreme Leader of North Korea since 2011 and the leader of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is a son of Kim Jong-il, who was North Korea's se ...

has a new dedicated section. The Command has camps located throughout the country, usually near official residences, and has a strong presence in

Pyongyang Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populat ...

. The Command also monitors key military and party figures to ensure the safety of the Kim family. It also coordinates with the Pyongyang Defense Command (with its 70,000 men) and

III Corps (North Korea) The III Corps is a corps of the 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 institut ...

for the defense of the capital and other strategic locations. These other military units provide an additional 95,000-100,000 soldiers, plus artillery and armored vehicles, for the defense of the country's leadership.

Recruitment and training

According to the testimonies of North Korean defector Lee Young-kuk, recruiters for the Guard look for new recruits in high schools where students are lined up for inspection. Physical prerequisites include, no facial scars and a well-proportioned body. Potential candidates have their family histories scrutinized for party loyalty and good " songbun". Once chosen, they are given an ID number while all other records are erased; contact with family is forbidden. Only one member per family is allowed to serve as a bodyguard. Recruits are then taken to special training camps for six months and are trained for a total of two years. Training includes,

Taekwondo ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast kicking techniques. ...

classes, marksmanship, 25 km marches in full gear and special operations tactics. According to defector Oh Young-nam, a former member of the State Security Department, the Supreme Guard Command published a 300-page training book detailing previous security incidents.

Known members

* Lee Young-kuk * Pak Su-hyon

References

Bibliography

External links

Guard Command, North Korea Leadership Watch
{{North Korean armed forces Protective security units Military units and formations of North Korea