At last week’s military parade in Pyongyang, North Korea’s Worker-Peasant Red Guards took center stage.

Equipped with Russian firetrucks and assisted by “military reconnaissance” canines, this militia force appeared before Kim Jong Un to pledge its loyalty to the Korean revolution.

The Red Guards are one of North Korea’s most elite paramilitary organizations, and Kim’s renewed focus on the Red Guards indicates the Workers’ Party of Korea’s (WPK) continued commitment to the militarization of North Korean society.

AN IDEOLOGICAL NATIONAL GUARD

Nearly every citizen in North Korea has a personal connection to the military. The discipline and regimentation of this