In part 1<\/a> of this article, I wrote the history of\u00a0North Korean AKs and how four different sets of markings on those guns helped to conceal the North Korean identity of the weapons.\u00a0However, if you look at actual features, it is pretty easy to identify a North Korean AK. When factories started mass production of their AKM variant they attempted to cut costs and inadvertently created a gun with plenty of odd details.<\/p>\n AK History @ TFB:<\/strong><\/p>\n Some of the Type 58 features carried over to Type 68, since Type 58 parts were already in production.<\/p>\n The rear sight of the Type 68 AK (export version)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n All those little things made to save a few pennies are a dead giveaway you\u2019re dealing with a North Korean AK, and no markings can conceal that.<\/p>\n So, if another batch of mysterious ASIAN CONTRACT AK parts kits goes on sale in the US, you can always read this article again to make sure you\u2019re making an informed decision when buying one.<\/p>\n North Korean AKs appear in the most unexpected places. I saw them in Kabul, in Mogadishu, and in the Puntland province of Somalia.<\/p>\n Type 68 with markings for domestic use photographed in Somalia<\/p>\n<\/div>\n But the most unusual place you can find them is Latin America. In the late 80s, Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) rebels from El Salvador received a large amount of North Korean AKs. Type 68s were also spotted in Nicaragua.<\/p>\n North Korean AKs were used by Wagner mercenaries in Syria when the company was cut off from Russian military supply and had to borrow guns from Assad\u2019s government who was a loyal customer of the North Korean military-industrial complex for years.<\/p>\n Syrian government bought so many North Korean AKs that some of those rifles even bear the markings of\u00a0\u00c9tablissement Industriel de la D\u00e9fense (EID), the main Syrian defense corporation.<\/p>\n But one country in Africa went much further and at the same time managed to hide its ties with North Korea extremely well.<\/p>\n Ethiopian-made AK is in Somalia<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Many years ago I visited Somalia for the first time and noticed a weird AK in the hands of one of the guards. Thankfully, I didn\u2019t have to be all weird about it and ask him to let me touch it.<\/p>\n As an armorer, I knew I would see this gun the next day when I would be doing an inspection. The gun did not look like anything else but had markings that read GAFAT.<\/p>\n Turns out GAFAT is the name of an Ethiopian arms manufacturing plant. But where did they get the technology? Well, I don\u2019t know that.<\/p>\n Ethiopian-made AK is in Somalia<\/p>\n<\/div>\n What I know is that their guns have sling loops on the gas block, triggers with two hooks, 800-meter rear sight, and markings that are often identical to export Type 68 North Korean AKs.<\/p>\n Maybe it is just a weird coincidence, and North Korea never secretly transferred the technology to this African country, and never built a factory there, successfully violating all the sanctions. How would I know for sure, I am just a writer, not some distinguished UN expert like Scott Ritter.<\/p>\n A close-up crop of the still of the ceremony from a Chosun Central TV report from Nov. 2019, the supreme leader hands over the chromed Type 88, complete with chromed mag and sling, while in the background is a brand new Lexus LX570 (Chosun Central TV\/N. Korea State media)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In the 80s, the North Korean military decided to follow the Soviet path and developed a rifle chambered for 5.45\u00d739. This weapon is called Type 88, and very few examples ever left the territory of DPRK. Typically the only scenario when those guns leave the country is when South Korean forces get into a firefight with North Korean soldiers and and end up with some trophies.<\/p>\n Most Type 88 rifles feature a pretty conventional side-folding stock similar to FN FAL Para and Galil. However, some variants have a unique top folding stock.<\/p>\n But the most unusual feature of Type 88 is a giant helical magazine of unknown capacity. It was demonstrated during parades, but so far no samples are available for public display.<\/p>\n POTD: North Korean Helical Mags Aka \u201cGrenade Launchers\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
Who bought North Korean AKs?<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.thefirearmblog.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/r2-1-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe Ethiopian connection<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.thefirearmblog.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/r10-1-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.thefirearmblog.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/r9-1-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nType 88<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.thefirearmblog.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/97c6f32e-3a18-4d4c-bff6-9009ab597863.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\n