"Strong and Prosperous Nation" () is a

political slogan Slogan, Slogans and Catchphrase, catchphrases are used by politicians, political parties, militaries, activists, and protestors to express or encourage particular beliefs or actions. List International usage * Better dead than RedAnti-communi ...

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

which originally described the main policy objective of the country's second

supreme leader A supreme leader or supreme ruler typically refers to powerful figures with an unchallenged authority, such as autocrats, dictators to spiritual and revolutionary leaders. Historic examples are Adolf Hitler () of Nazi Germany, Francisco ...

Kim Jong Il Kim Jong Il (born Yuri Kim; 16 February 1941 or 1942 – 17 December 2011) was a North Korean politician who was the second Supreme Leader (North Korean title), supreme leader of North Korea from Death and state funeral of Kim Il Sung, the de ...

. Kim Jong Il argued that the military-first policy of ''

Songun ''Songun'' () is the "military-first" policy of North Korea, prioritizing the Korean People's Army in the affairs of state and allocation of resources. "Military-first" as a principle guides political and economic life in North Korea, with " ...

'' 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 ''Juche'', officially the ''Juche'' idea, is a component of Ideology of the Workers' Party of Korea#Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism, Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism, the state ideology of North Korea and the official ideology of the Workers' Party o ...

'' (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 Kim Jong Un (born 8 January 1983 or 1984) is a North Korean politician and dictator who has served as supreme leader of North Korea since 2011 and general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is the third son of Kim ...

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 An editorial, or leading article (UK) or leader (UK), is an article or any other written document, often unsigned, written by the senior editorial people or publisher of a newspaper or magazine, that expresses the publication's opinion about ...

published on 22 August 1998 in ''

Rodong Sinmun ''Rodong Sinmun'' (; ) is a North Korean official newspaper of record of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. It was first published on 1 November 1945, as ''Chŏngro'' (), serving as a communication channel for the North ...

'', the newspaper of the

Workers' Party of Korea The Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), also called the Korean Workers' Party (KWP), is the sole ruling party of North Korea. Founded in 1949 from a merger between the Workers' Party of North Korea and the Workers' Party of South Korea, the WPK is ...

. 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 South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

Ministry of Unification The Ministry of Unification () is an executive department of the South Korean government aimed at promoting Korean reunification. It was first established in 1969 as the ''National Unification Board'', under the rule of Park Chung Hee. It gaine ...

, 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 KCBC (770 AM) is a commercial radio station broadcasting a Christian talk and teaching radio format. It is Licensed to Manteca, California, with radio studios and offices in Oakdale. The station is owned by the Crawford Broadcasting Company ...

. The following quote accompanied footage of Kim Jong Il providing "

on-the-spot guidance "On-the-spot guidance" (also "guidance tours" or "field guidance") is a term used in the North Korean mass media to describe appearances by the supreme leader, often at sites related to the military or to industry, at which the leader gives direc ...

" in

Chagang Province Chagang Province (; ) is a province of North Korea; it is bordered by China's Jilin and Liaoning provinces to the north, Ryanggang and South Hamgyong to the east, South Pyongan to the south, and North Pyongan to the west. Chagang was formed ...

in February 1998: "When the spirit of Kangson and the revolutionary spirit of

Kanggye Kanggye (; ) is the provincial capital of Chagang, North Korea and has a population of 251,971. Because of its strategic importance, derived from its topography, it has been of military interest from the time of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). H ...

arise, the fatherland will become a ''strong and prosperous nation'' and exert its power throughout the world."

References

Citations

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* * * * {{refend National mottos Politics of North Korea Political terminology of North Korea

Origins

See also

References

Citations

Sources