조선인민군 군관이하 군사칭호 도입에 관한 연구 - 1948년 창설부터 한국전쟁 및 1955년까지

Abstract

It has been proven through North Korean primary sources and Chinese military records that military ranks were conferred upon officers and above via a decree issued on December 31, 1952, following the establishment of the Korean People's Army in 1948. However, research on military ranks for non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel below the rank of officer is virtually nonexistent. Therefore, this study attempts to reestablish the military rank system for ranks below officer, from the founding period of the Korean People's Army through the Korean War until 1955, based on prior research. The study employed a literature review method, focusing primarily on North Korean primary sources. The findings show that ranks for NCOs and enlisted personnel were formally established on the same date as officer ranks—December 31, 1952—with conferment beginning in 1953. It also established that during the early days of the People's Army's founding, only military titles were used without military ranks. However, instances of military ranks being used were found in some North Korean documents, suggesting that military titles and military ranks were used interchangeably. Nevertheless, the conclusion that military ranks below officer level also officially used the military title system at the founding of the People's Army, with military ranks being conferred from 1953 onwards, is based on the analysis of the Rodong Sinmun, the party newspaper, and the Korean People's Army, the military newspaper. Based on this study, follow-up research is needed on the overall evolution of military ranks below officer level from before the founding of the Korean People's Army to the present, as well as on detailed areas such as the criteria and procedures for conferring these ranks. Revisions are also required when publishing government publications and various official documents.