| Strong and Prosperous Nation | |
| Chosŏn'gŭl | 강성대국 |
|---|---|
| Hancha | 强盛大國 |
| Revised Romanization | gangseongdaeguk |
| McCune–Reischauer | kangsŏngtaeguk |
"Strong and Prosperous Nation" (Korean: 강성대국; lit. "powerful and great country") is a political slogan in North Korea which originally described the main policy objective of the country's second supreme leader, Kim Jong Il. Kim Jong Il argued that the military-first policy of Songun was necessary to turn North Korea into a "strong and prosperous nation". He further argued that such a monumentous goal could only be achieved by strengthening the country's commitment to the core principles of Juche (i.e. self-reliance) in the areas of ideology, politics, economics, and defence.
After Kim Jong-il's death on 17 December 2011, his son and successor Kim Jong Un repurposed the slogan to introduce new concepts into North Korean ideological discourse. Kim Jong Un later declared 2012, the centennial of the birth of Kim Il Sung, as the "Year of the Strong and Prosperous Nation".
Origins
Officially, the term "Strong and Prosperous Nation" first appeared as the title of a lengthy editorial published on 22 August 1998 in Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of the Workers' Party of Korea. The article was heavily promoted to the North Korean public following the publication of another editorial on 9 September 1998, which celebrated the 50th anniversary of North Korea's founding.
South Korea's Ministry of Unification, however, notes that the term had been used prior to the August editorial's publication; its earliest recorded usage was on 8 April 1998, in a news segment by the North Korean state broadcaster KCBC. The following quote accompanied footage of Kim Jong Il providing "on-the-spot guidance" in Chagang Province in February 1998: "When the spirit of Kangson and the revolutionary spirit of Kanggye arise, the fatherland will become a strong and prosperous nation and exert its power throughout the world."
See also
References
Citations
- ^ Lee 2012, p. 4.
- Kang 2004, pp. 100–107.
- Lee 2012, pp. 4–5.
- Kim 2011.
- ^ Lee 2012, p. 8.
- ^ Ministry of Unification 2004, pp. 34–35.
Sources
- Kang, Sung-jong (19 February 2004). 북한의 강성대국 건설전략 [North Korea's Strategy to Build a Strong and Prosperous Nation] (in Korean). Seoul: Hanul Academy. ISBN 9788946032132.
- Kim, Jack (27 December 2011). ""Great successor" poised to take over North Korea". Reuters. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
- Lee, Gi Dong (2012). "Evaluating Kim Jong Il's Seventeen-Year Regime: Focus on 'Strong and Prosperous Nation'". Journal of Peace and Unification. 2 (1): 3–27. ISSN 2233-9671. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
- 2004 북한개요 [2004 North Korea Overview] (in Korean), Ministry of Unification, 16 February 2004
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