Type 73 light machine gun

Lore & Background

The Type 73 is based on a 1960s-era Soviet design, most likely the PK machine gun (PKM), although the date of its first production in North Korea is currently unknown. The weapon was reportedly seen in the Korean Demilitarized Zone in 2002, when a United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission team told media outlets that North Korean soldiers had set up numerous Type 73s in positions 100 to 400 meters north of the demarcation line. The weapons were reportedly removed at the end of each day. Due to the North Korean government's policy of secrecy, information on the weapon is hard to obtain. One example has been acquired by South Korea.

North Korean officials were apparently not satisfied with the weapon, and by 1982 they had developed the Type 82 machine gun, which was more directly copied from the PKM's design. This seemed to replace the Type 73 in front-line service, as it was seen in use less since the early-1980s, though it was possibly moved to reserve or militia service. Many were supplied to Iran during the Iran–Iraq War, and some of these have in turn been supplied to Iranian-backed groups engaged in fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Since mid-2015, North Korean or Iranian-built copies of belt-fed Type 73s have been seen in use by Iranian-supported militias like the Popular Mobilization Forces, as well as other factions including the Christian Babylon Brigades that acquired the weapons through their alliance against ISIS. Some were also used by the Sarya Ashoura. By early 2016, they were being used by Syria and by Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The design is heavily based on the 1960s-era Soviet PK machine gun. However, the Type 73 does have certain indigenous modifications, including removable muzzle sleeves and a dual magazine/belt feed system, patterned after the Czechoslovak Vz.52 LMG, allowing the user to fire the weapon from indigenous box magazines or ammunition belts that can be used with the PKM. One unusual feature is a special barrel attachment to enable the gun to fire rifle grenades. The weapon's intended combat role is thought to be as a squad automatic weapon. However, it uses a 7.62×54mmR cartridge, not the 7.62×39mm round used by the Type 58 assault rifle, North Korea's standard infantry rifle. This is becoming more unusual as many armies have migrated to squad automatic weapons that use the same ammunition as rifles, so all members of a unit may share ammunition and only one type needs to be supplied. A larger cartridge is a characteristic of a general-purpose machine gun, although such weapons typically are belt fed and do not use a box magazine.

Reader's Guide

The Type 73 represents a notable example of North Korean small arms development, blending Soviet PK machine gun lineage with indigenous modifications and a Czechoslovak-inspired dual feed system. Its ability to fire both box magazines and PKM-compatible belts, along with a rifle grenade attachment, made it a versatile but ultimately unsatisfactory weapon for the Korean People's Army, leading to its replacement by the more direct PKM copy, the Type 82, by 1982. Despite being largely phased out of front-line service, the Type 73 gained a second life through Iranian channels, appearing in conflicts across the Middle East from the Iran–Iraq War through the fight against ISIL, and later in Syria and Yemen. Its use by Iranian-backed militias, the Popular Mobilization Forces, and even Christian factions like the Babylon Brigades illustrates how North Korean arms have proliferated through non-state actors. The weapon's continued appearance in new conflicts—such as its reported supply to Russian forces in 2024—underscores its enduring, if niche, role in modern warfare. Criticisms from a Russian serviceman in December 2024 regarding its weight and iron sights highlight the limitations of a design that, while innovative for its time, has not aged gracefully. The Type 73's legacy is thus one of a transitional weapon, bridging Soviet and Czechoslovak concepts, that found its true impact not in its original intended role but as a tool of proxy warfare.

Did You Know?

• The Type 73 has a special barrel attachment to fire rifle grenades.
• Chrome variants of the Type 73 are awarded to North Korean soldiers who excel.
• In 2017, some Type 73s being covertly shipped to Somalia were seized by the French Navy.