Bizarre AKs from North Korea's Special Forces

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PuzzleheadedPrior455@reddit

I’m assuming none of these were used in Ukraine and they were outfitted by Russia?

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The North Koreans were operating in Kursk and were outfitted with Russian uniforms, gear and individual weapons. There was a recent video the North Koreans produced about their operation (shown during a memorial ceremony) which shows them using AK-12s, RPK-74s, PKs and SVDs.

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PuzzleheadedPrior455@reddit

That was kind of my assumption. I saw some NK machine guns and ammo/artillery shells. As bad as some people say the AK-12 is, it’s probably better than what they would bring along.

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Crazykirsch@reddit

Not long after they became involved and Ukraine managed to take some PoW; no easy task as they often refuse surrender and/or off themselves; there was an excerpt of an interrogation/interview posted to the CredibleDefense daily thread.

IIRC he said that once they arrived in Russia or the Donbas that the Russians would confiscate much of their equipment and issue them alternatives.

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Thug-shaketh9499@reddit

Why confiscate, was their home brew stuff really that bad?

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Crazykirsch@reddit

Can't speak with any real authority on current affairs but in the beginning of the SMO at least there were a ton of Russians posting to Telegram about some of the ancient janky kit they were given and some weren't issued rifles at all.

Like it wasn't uncommon for said soldiers' hometowns fundraising to get them equipment. Should be noted that it wasn't always a lack of ability to supply them, there's also the issue of widespread corruption that saw officers and higher-ups just straight selling the stuff including fuel for vehicles and the latter amplifies the former.

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Taguysy@reddit

On all the videos and photos I saw from there NK soldiers usually had AK-12's. But interestingly enough, Russians got some amount of korean machineguns

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PuzzleheadedPrior455@reddit

That was my assumption

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UnlikelyWhole6209@reddit

Not gonna lie, they look kinda cool.

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crit_crit_boom@reddit

No joke they look like a stamped aluminum shell. Like a kids toy but life size. I would be surprised if they had internals at all.

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xCR1MS0N-T1D3x@reddit

I always wonder if these AKs actually function reliably, or at all for that matter, and are built just for show.

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lil__squeaky@reddit

Ive heard that someone who escaped said the mags pictured are 5 rounds mags used for commemorative purposes.

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xCR1MS0N-T1D3x@reddit

Interesting…

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EffNein@reddit

Fuddbusters did a looksie at a worn down Nork AK.

Mostly very weird in terms of features and design decisions (money saved in one place, but spent extra in another), and mostly seemingly hand-built. Not necessarily to the highest standard, but somehow still better than what American AK companies usually make.

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xCR1MS0N-T1D3x@reddit

We can get a lot of info from that, but I’m curious about their 5.45 counterparts. Their milled AKs were really well made somewhat years ago, but it seems the build quality has degraded over time, and the look of the various barrel components really seems rough and inconsistent, maybe with decent forged parts for the trunnion and carrier components despite their rough nature.

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Stairmaker@reddit

The aks that can take the helical mags can still take regular ak mags.

Meaning that they either work is is just for parades to show off to the world, etc.

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TimothySouthland@reddit

That was a type 68 from a long time ago. These are likely much different.

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Friendly_Estate1629@reddit

I’ve never heard Nork outside of Homefront

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ihatelifetoo@reddit

Probably work but not reliable

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grizzlor_@reddit

many such cases in the world of drum magazines

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Entire_Judge_2988@reddit (OP)

I think It probably works, because Kim Jong Un's personal bodyguards use same rifle and mag.

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xCR1MS0N-T1D3x@reddit

Good point. Funny that they just slap a riveted rail on the dust cover to make it look more tactical. Maybe one day when NK collapses, if they collapse…, weapon historians will actually get their hands on these and thoroughly test them and gather historical info and weapon functional data.

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grizzlor_@reddit

One of these helical AK mags is going to make it out of the country before the regime collapses. Can you imagine the secret bidding war there would be between "gun tubers" (sorry this just sounds dumb) to have the chance to review the first legit NK helical AK mag??

It's become somewhat of an object of fascination, particularly among AK enthusiasts obviously. It's the funkiest and most impossible to obtain AK magazine ever developed (and highest capacity too?). Even if it works as well as your average drum mag (not well), it would be such a score to get to test it and then do a teardown analysis.

I wonder how long it would take the first Western-made clone to hit the market after we have a teardown. I don't care if it's putting a second AK worth of weight on the front of my AK -- give me the damn NK helical mag!!!

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justaheatattack@reddit

that's what they used to say about the cars in cuba.

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xCR1MS0N-T1D3x@reddit

Hence the if they collapse part.

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justaheatattack@reddit

if there was one person who shouldn't trust his bodyguards.....

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Socratesmiddlefinger@reddit

Probably a better case for the weapons not working.

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RuralfireAUS@reddit

"How about some ARVN rifles? Never been fired, only dropped once "

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Socratesmiddlefinger@reddit

Ian did a small spoof video on that magazine, maybe a year or two ago. Just for show.

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exessmirror@reddit

I am not entirely convinced as his bodyguard unit uses it but still, he makes a very good case. We see that people talk about these things in a lot of closed countries and sometimes these closed countries can do a fluke and develop something extremely unlikely.

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Socratesmiddlefinger@reddit

You are not wrong, I wonder if we will ever find out in our lifetimes?

They say his sister is worse than he is, but as you say, closed countries are all but unknowable.

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shoryaku@reddit

Holy shit those are the smallest knuckle guards on a glove I've ever seen LOL!!

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afrostmes@reddit

I was thinking the same, comically smaller than their actual knuckles lol

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funky_diabeticc@reddit

Those big ass flashlights they got mounted on those rifles are hilarious.

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Few_Carpenter_9185@reddit

They are helical "drum" magazines like the Russian Bizon SMG, or the American Calico 9mm & .22LR carbines & pistols from the 1980s. Google image search of those two will give you the idea.

They can hold a lot of ammunition per magazine, maybe over 100 rounds of 5.45x39 if that's what's in there, and do it wile keeping the rifle & shooter low to the ground or a wall, cover etc. when shooting.

But it's questionable if the weight, awkwardness of reloading, or any reliability problems are worth it. So... even weirder.

It's obviously a: "BEST KOREA SUPER SOLDIER HAVE MORE AMMUNITION, BEST KOREA WINS!" kind of thing.

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funky_diabeticc@reddit

I know what the mags are. I’m talking about the giant flashlight mounted on the left side of rifle right above the mag.

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Few_Carpenter_9185@reddit

Ah, so sorry!

I'm old enough that ginormous Kel-Lite & MagLite C & D-cell flashlights on firearms was state of the art in gun magazines. LOL. Although, not "that old" I was a kid.

I do agree those actual flashlights look a little chunky for 2025, and I question the usefulness of their placement.

But, I suppose the diminutive size of malnourished DPRK soldiers and the slimmed down AK-family furniture they need might make the lights look a little bigger in proportion. And while there's no evidence for it, if it was a multiple illumination unit, visible, low signature red, and/or maybe IR, it could be forgivable if it was beefier.

But overall, "crude" & "poverty" is what that probably is.

I was looking at the uniform pieces, too. Like the neck gaiter/gorgets. That's obviously designed to look "Western," "Midern," & "Me too!" But I bet it's under 50% odds there's any Kevlar or other aramid fiber in it.

Especially considering Russians in Ukraine have loads of anecdotal evidence that their "body armor" in the carriers is stuff like plywood at times.

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funky_diabeticc@reddit

I know what the mags are. I’m talking about the giant flashlight mounted on the left side of rifle right above the mag.

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PYSHINATOR@reddit

"MooooOOOOM, can we have a PP-19 Bizon?"

"No, we have a Bizon at home."

Bizon at home:

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archie_lk01@reddit

Looks like the North Koreans finally got a 3d printer, good for them

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Woodlog82@reddit

Ian had an interesting episode about those.

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BambiX3@reddit

But that video was more of a joke. It was released April 1 and the mag wasn't a real one. I wish that they would find one now that North Korean soldiers are in Ukraine. I don't really believe that the mag work, but I still think that they would give them to soldiers...

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Woodlog82@reddit

After the video, I thought the magazines themselves are a joke. I don't know that much about firearms, but won't these make the gun incredibly front heavy and harder to aim?

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grizzlor_@reddit

I mean yeah, even if they worked perfectly, can you imagine holding an AK with ~100 rounds under the barrel instead of 30 under the magazine port? It would be insanely front heavy.

How are you supposed to carry spare tube mags? Where do you put this thing after it's empty?

Now I want to see the NK ChiCom-style chest rig with huge ass pouches to hold four of these cylinder mags. That would actually be hilarious. They'd be like hitting the wearer in the chin (also no need for plates when you've got 4 of these on your chest)

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Woodlog82@reddit

I could imagine two tubes on the back in a carrier strapped to your webbing or on the sides of a backpack.

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Sevsix1@reddit

the video in case somebody want to watch it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRwBcK5D-oY

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TommyBarcelona@reddit

Thats crazzzy

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Samburger241@reddit

Wow that video really got me.

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DankInquisitor@reddit

Do those grips look small or is it just the picture angle?

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Socratesmiddlefinger@reddit

Probably small, NK tend to be 5ft to 5 5", generations of famine and poor nutrition. SK men tend to be on average 3 inches taller.

https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fecu2g2tqui1c1.jpg

The number one reason they join the army is somewhat steady pay and the hope of at least one meal a day.

The worst story, and no way to prove it, is that they haul their big artillery pieces around by hand with long rope lines during training because they have no gas for their trucks.

I have seen a tourist video where a NK general was pointing to a 30ft high concrete wall that ran across a valley for maybe a mile and saying that this was state of the art defense and the Americans had nothing that could defeat this brilliant NK engineering.

AI says:

North Korean soldier defectors often suffer from serious medical issues such as extensive parasitic infections, including large roundworms, due to poor sanitation and a lack of clean food and water in the country. They also experience malnutrition, potentially leading to stunted growth, and may have chronic conditions like tuberculosis or hepatitis B. Additionally, these individuals may show signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and can have lifelong complications from severe injuries, such as those sustained during their defection attempts.

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DankInquisitor@reddit

I was aware of their stature deficiency, but its striking to see it so evidently displayed in the rifle’s furniture design.

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LajosGK22@reddit

Why yellow gloves? That totally fucks up the camo

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Theu04k@reddit

For Super Earth lol

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DiscipleActual@reddit

Does anyone know why some of these guys, a lot of Russians and I’m sure a bunch of other nations all seem to be using some knock off variant of multicam? Just seems weird. Imagine if the US adopted the stalhelm in the late 30s when it seemed like war with Germany was a real future possibility. I would think they would want to do everything they could to avoid blue on blue issues by making their troops look different than possible enemies.

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Jack_547@reddit

My guess is it has less to do with the perceived effectiveness of the pattern, and more to do with making their military look on par with the US. They probably see photos of NATO soldiers using their various iterations of Multicam/OCP/MTP/etc, and think, "comrade, if those militaries use that pattern, then we shall look more modern by using it too!"

Not to mention, before it was Multicam everyone was copying, it was M81 Woodland everyone, even the DPRK, had. In general there's a tendency to follow whatever the US and NATO are doing since it gives off the appearance of a modern, well equipped military.

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Ak-12 at home:

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MojoCrow@reddit

North Korean Boy: I want Multicam

North Korean Mum: We have Multicam at home

North Korean Multicam at home

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