North Korean Army Ranks

Military Ranks of North Korea

Introduction

The military ranks of North Korea are a system of insignia used by the Korean People's Army (KPA). Due to close military cooperation, North Korean ranks are closely aligned with those of the Soviet Union and China.

Korean People's Army (KPA)

The KPA is the armed forces of North Korea. It consists of the following branches:

• Army
• Navy
• Air Force
• Strategic Rocket Forces
• Special Operations Forces

Military Ranks

The ranks of the KPA are listed below, from lowest to highest:

Enlisted Ranks

Rank	Hangul	Romanization	NATO Code
Private	일병	Il-byeong	OR-1
Corporal	상병	Sang-byeong	OR-2
Sergeant	중사	Jung-sa	OR-3
Staff Sergeant	상사	Sang-sa	OR-4
Master Sergeant	원사	Won-sa	OR-5
Senior Master Sergeant	상사관	Sang-sagwan	OR-6
Chief Master Sergeant	특수상사관	Teuk-su sang-sagwan	OR-7

Officer Ranks

Rank	Hangul	Romanization	NATO Code
Second Lieutenant	소위	So-wi	OF-1
First Lieutenant	중위	Jung-wi	OF-2
Captain	대위	Dae-wi	OF-3
Major	소령	So-ryeong	OF-4
Lieutenant Colonel	중령	Jung-ryeong	OF-5
Colonel	대령	Dae-ryeong	OF-6
Brigadier General	준장	Jun-jang	OF-7
Major General	소장	So-jang	OF-8
Lieutenant General	중장	Jung-jang	OF-9
General	대장	Dae-jang	OF-10