Country North Korea Type Paramilitary militia | Branch Korean People's Army Role Civil Defense | |
 | ||
Founded January 1959; 58 years ago (1959-01) Allegiance Workers' Party of Korea | ||
The Worker-Peasant Red Guards (로농적위군) is a paramilitary force in North Korea. It is the largest civil defense force in the DPRK. It was established on January 14, 1959 by Kim Il-sung and is not only under State Affairs Commission (until 2016 National Defense Commission) and Ministry of People's Armed Forces control, but is also attached to the Worker's Party of Korea under its Military Affairs Department (until 2010 it reported also to the Civil Defense Department).
The militia is organized on a provincial/town/city/ village level, and structured on a brigade, battalion, company, and platoon basis. The militia maintains infantry small arms, with some mortars, field guns and anti-aircraft guns and even modernized older equipment such as multiple rocket launchers like the BM-13 and older Ural D-62 motorcycles, although some units are unarmed indicating status as logistics and medical units.