Members of the ROK (Republic of Korea) Army keeps a watchful eye on North Korea from Observation Post (OP) oullette located in the Demilitarized Zone. The OP Oullette is manned by ROK and American Soldiers. It is the most strategic Observation post in South Korea. It enables Soldiers to see up to 17 miles into North Korea on a clear day

As North Korean government website states, "The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is a genuine workers' state in which all the people are completely liberated from exploitation and oppression. The workers, peasants, soldiers and intellectuals are the true masters of their destiny and are in a unique position to defend their interests." Critics regard it as a totalitarian dictatorship. International organizations have assessed that human rights violations in North Korea have no parallel in the contemporary world. North Korean official ideology doctrine, Juche, was introduced as a "creative application of Marxism–Leninism" in 1972. From 1994 to 1998, North Korea suffered a famine, and the country's food shortage continues. North Korea has total of 9,495,000 active, reserve, and paramilitary personnel. Its active duty army of 1.21 million is the fourth largest in the world.