The policy of Songun that emphasizes the role of military guides the political and economic life in what country?
"North Korea, by civilians, and the flag of the Supreme Commander of the KPA by military units. Observances include galas for service people, dancing parties around the country, outdoor concerts, laying bouquets, and visiting historic sites. Day of Songun The Day of ""Songun"" () is a public holiday in North Korea celebrated on 25 August annually to commemorate the beginning of Kim Jong-il's ""Songun"" (military-first) leadership in 1960. In 2013, Kim Jong-un elevated the holiday to an official status on the North Korean calendar, on par with the Day of the Sun (birth anniversary of Kim Il-sung). Thus it became"
"and international interactions. It provides the framework of the government, designating the military as the ""supreme repository of power"". It also facilitates the militarization of non-military sectors by emphasizing the unity of the military and the people by spreading military culture among the masses. The North Korean government grants the Korean People's Army as the highest priority in the economy and in resource-allocation, and positions it as the model for society to emulate. ""Songun"" is also the ideological concept behind a shift in policies (since the death of Kim Il-sung in 1994) which emphasize the people's military over all other"
"is the framework for the government, designating the military as the ""supreme repository of power"". The government grants the Korean People's Army the highest economic and resource-allocation priority and positions it as the model for society to emulate. ""Songun"" is also the ideological concept behind a shift in policies since 1994 which emphasize the people's military over all other aspects of state and society. The roots of ""Songun"" are traced to Kim Il-sung's guerilla activities against the Japanese during the 1930s. The ""Songun"" era began in 1960 when a young Kim Jong-il, together with his father Kim Il-sung, visited the"
"While some analysts believe private commerce recently changed the Songbun system to some extent, most North Korean refugees say it remains a commanding presence in everyday life. The North Korean government claims all citizens are equal and denies any discrimination on the basis of family background. North Korea has maintained one of the most closed and centralized economies in the world since the 1940s. For several decades it followed the Soviet pattern of five-year plans with the ultimate goal of achieving self-sufficiency. Extensive Soviet and Chinese support allowed North Korea to rapidly recover from the Korean War and register very"
"nature to human will. By restructuring social classes into a mass of people who are theoretically all equal, the North Korean government claimed it would be able to attain self-reliance or ""Juche"" in upcoming years. This is questionable, because the country suffers massive food shortages annually and is heavily dependent on foreign aid. ""Songun"" (literally ""military-first policy"") was first mentioned on 7 April 1997 in ""Rodong Shinmun"" under the headline ""There Is a Victory for Socialism in the Guns and Bombs of the People's Army"". It defined the military-centered thinking of the time by stating; ""the revolutionary philosophy to safeguard"
"a three-year transitional economic policy placing primary emphasis on agriculture, light industry, and foreign trade. However, lack of fertilizer, natural disasters, and poor storage and transportation practices have left the country more than a million tons per year short of grain self-sufficiency. Moreover, lack of foreign exchange to purchase spare parts and oil for electricity generation left many factories idle. The 1990s famine paralyzed many of the Stalinist economic institutions. The government pursued Kim Jong-il's ""Songun"" policy, under which the military is deployed to direct production and infrastructure projects. As a consequence of the government's policy of establishing economic self-sufficiency,"
"ideology of national self-reliance, was introduced into the constitution in 1972. The means of production are owned by the state through state-run enterprises and collectivized farms. Most services such as healthcare, education, housing and food production are subsidized or state-funded. From 1994 to 1998, North Korea suffered a famine that resulted in the deaths of between 240,000 and 420,000 people, and the population continues to suffer malnutrition. North Korea follows ""Songun"", or ""military-first"" policy. It is the country with the highest number of military and paramilitary personnel, with a total of 9,495,000 active, reserve and paramilitary personnel. Its active duty"
"national mourning before officially announcing his position as the new leader. North Korea promised to halt its development of nuclear weapons under the Agreed Framework, negotiated with U.S. president Bill Clinton and signed in 1994. Building on Nordpolitik, South Korea began to engage with the North as part of its Sunshine Policy. Kim Jong-il instituted a policy called ""Songun"", or ""military first"". There is much speculation about this policy being used as a strategy to strengthen the military while discouraging coup attempts. Restrictions on travel were tightened, and the state security apparatus was strengthened. Flooding in the mid-1990s exacerbated the"
"the North Koreans fleeing to China because of famine still showed significant support for the government as well as pride in their homeland. Many of these people reportedly returned to North Korea after earning sufficient money. In 1998, the government announced a new policy called ""Songun"", or ""Military First"". Some analysts suggested that this meant the Korean People's Army was now more powerful than the Workers' Party. President Kim Dae-jung of South Korea actively attempted to reduce tensions between the two Koreas under the Sunshine Policy. After the election of George W. Bush as the President of the United States"
"ideology, leadership, character, virtues, grit and courage"". General Kim Jong-gak addressing the memorial service on behalf of the military, saying ""Our people's military will serve comrade Kim Jong-un at the head of our revolutionary troops and will continue to maintain and complete the Songun accomplishments of great leader Kim Jong-il"". Songun refers to Kim Jong-il's policy of prioritising the ""military first"" in economic decisions. Kim Jong-un did not make an address but stood with his head bowed, watching from a balcony of the Grand People's Study House, overlooking the square. He was flanked by his aunt, Kim Kyong-hui, her husband,"
"Science and International Security reported that North Korea may possess fissile material for around two to nine nuclear warheads. The North Korean Songun (""Military First"") policy elevates the KPA to the primary position in the government and society. According to North Korea's state news agency, military expenditures for 2010 made up 15.8 percent of the state budget. Most analyses of North Korea's defense sector, however, estimate that defense spending constitutes between one-quarter and one-third of all government spending. As of 2003, according to the International Institute of Strategic Studies, North Korea’s defense budget consumed some 25 percent of central government"
"Songbun Songbun (), formally chulsin-songbun (, from Sino-Korean 出身, ""origin"" and 成分, ""constituent""), is the system of ascribed status used in North Korea. Based on the political, social, and economic background of one's direct ancestors as well as the behavior of their relatives, songbun is used to determine whether an individual is trusted with responsibilities, is given opportunities within North Korea, or even receives adequate food. Songbun affects access to educational and employment opportunities and it particularly determines whether a person is eligible to join North Korea's ruling party, the Workers' Party of Korea. The Korean Workers' Party Politburo passed"
"Il-sung in 1962. The doctrine aim was to arm the entire population, fortify the entire state, train every soldier to become a cadre and modernize the entire military sector. However, the idea that nation's independence, sovereignty and prosperity is dependent on being organized and well armed was laid out by Kim il Sung's guerrilla fighting against the Japanese during the 1930s. Two reasons have been offered as to why after Kim Il-sung's death North Korea shifted to ""Songun"" as a major ideology. One strand of the debate points to North Korea's desire to increase its military strength due to its"
"of service, a North Korean man could hope to become a low-level bureaucrat, but nowadays it is more profitable to engage in private enterprise. Songbun remains important to members of the government elite, but for the majority of North Koreans, wealth has become more important than songbun when defining one's place in society. A prominent example of songbun involves Ko Yong-hui, the mother of present leader Kim Jong-un. Ko was born in Osaka, Japan, which would make her part of the hostile class because of her Korean-Japanese heritage; furthermore, her grandfather worked in a sewing factory for the Imperial Japanese"
"strand focuses on internal North Korean politics as the cause for the move to military first politics. When Kim Il-sung died, he left leadership of North Korea to his son, Kim Jong-il. At the time of his father's death, the most important position held by Kim Jong-il in the North Korean government was military, specifically second in command of the military. Additionally, in order to keep control of the government Kim Jong-il would need to secure his support base within the Korean People's Army. This line of argument points out that Kim Jong-il deliberately chose to sideline other aspects of"
"our own style of socialism under any circumstances"". The concept was credited to ""Respected General Kim Jong-il"". In a joint editorial on 16 June 1998 entitled ""Our Party's Military-First Politics Will Inevitably Achieve Victory and Will Never Be Defeated"" by ""Kulloja"" (the WPK theoretical magazine) and ""Rodong Sinmun"", it was stated that ""Songun"" meant ""the leadership method under the principle of giving priority to the military and resolving the problems that may occur in the course of revolution and construction as well as establishing the military as the main body of the revolution in the course of achieving the total"
"practiced military-first leadership, which is ""one in which the People's Army serves as the main force of revolution and in which the unity of the army and the people helps to safeguard as well as build socialism"". In foreign language publications, the translated term ""army-first"" substituted for ""Songun"" between 1999 and 2006, after which the Korean term has been used exclusively. In January 2003, the New Year's editorial added military-first ideology (""Songun sasang"") to the pantheon of military-first concepts. In December 2003, the ""Essential Attributes of Military-First Politics"" was published as a new vision of the driving force of the"
"Southeast Asia, the various states possess fairly different forms of governance and military control. In Vietnam, Singapore, and Malaysia, there is a fair amount of civilian control. Meanwhile, Myanmar is an example of a completely different case, where the military possesses nearly absolute control. Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines provide a more middle-ground view, where there is a degree of civil-military relations that hinge on both parties’ cooperation. Some scholars oppose the relationship between the military and the economy, preferring to see the two entities completely separated and independent on the basis that military control of the economy can completely"
"Choson publishes a joint New Year editorial that outlines the country's policies for the year. The editorials usually offer praise for the Songun policy, the government and leadership, and encourage the growth of the nation. They are also critical of the policies of South Korea, Japan, the United States, and Western governments towards the country. On January 1, 2006, the agency sent out a joint-editorial from North Korea's state newspapers calling for the withdrawal of American troops from South Korea. While annual January 1 editorials are a tradition among the papers, that year's brought attention from Western media outlets, by"
"War took hold. Both occupying powers began promoting into positions of authority Koreans aligned with their side of politics and marginalizing their opponents. Many of these emerging political leaders were returning exiles with little popular support. In North Korea, the Soviet Union supported Korean Communists. Kim Il-sung, who from 1941 had served in the Soviet Army, became the major political figure. Society was centralized and collectivized, following the Soviet model. Politics in the South was more tumultuous, but the strongly anti-Communist Syngman Rhee emerged as the most prominent politician. The US government took the issue to the United Nations, which"
"throughout the nation until Kim Jong-il introduced the ""Songun"" (military-first) policy, which augments the ""Juche"" philosophy and has a great impact on national economic policies. At the 4th Party Conference held in April 2012, Kim Jong-un further defined ""Juche"" as the comprehensive thought of Kim Il-sung, developed and deepened by Kim Jong-il, therefore terming it as ""Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism"" and that it was ""the only guiding idea of the party"" and nation. According to a 2013 report by ""New Focus International"", the two major Korean news publications (""Rodong Sinmun"" and the Korean Central News Agency) publish around 300 articles per month relating"
"Economy of North Korea The economy of North Korea is a centrally planned system, where the role of market allocation schemes is limited, though increasing. North Korea continues its basic adherence to a centrally planned command economy. There has been some economic liberalisation, particularly after Kim Jong-un assumed the leadership in 2012, but reports conflict over particular legislation and enactment. The collapse of the Eastern Bloc from 1989 to 1991, particularly North Korea's principal source of support, the Soviet Union, forced the North Korean economy to realign its foreign economic relations, including increased economic exchanges with South Korea. China is"
"during the Korean War, political killings of dissenters were widespread. A large series of engagements was fought around the city to prevent North Korean troops from crossing the Nakdong, the Battle of Taegu. In the second half of the 20th century, the city underwent explosive growth, and the population has increased more than tenfold since the end of the Korean War. The city was politically favored during the 18-year-long rule of Park Chung-hee, when it and the surrounding area served as his political base. Daegu champions conservative political ideas and movements today and is a political base for the Saenuri"
"all such knowledge is kept from them by the state. Under Roh Tae-woo, a former South Korean army general and politician, the Seoul government created a ""Nordpolitik"" policy, based on the West German ""Ostpolitik"" model, hoping to make trading agreements with Pyongyang. The cultures of the two halves have separated following partition, even though traditional Korean culture and history are shared. In addition, many families were split by the division of Korea. In the practically comparable situation of the German reunification, the 41-year-long separation has left significant impacts on German culture and society, even after two decades. Given the extreme"
"The establishment of technology schools, which could instill national consciousness and independence, led to a high degree of responsiveness from local residents. Activity of Sangnoksu unit in Somalia was the first of activities as the UN peacekeeping operations to overcome various difficult conditions and exceeded expectations. Through this, Republic of Korea Armed Forces have become confident that it can successfully fulfill any mission in any part of the world. The background of the flag is red meaning military engineer and the castle and sword means a badge of military engineer. On the upper left side of the flag is the"
"willing to give up its nuclear weapons programme. ""Military-first politics"" originated with the attempt at recovery—the ""Arduous March""—from the economic troubles during the famine that swept North Korea in the 1990s. In order to overcome the economic crisis, the army was expected to work at the forefront. The regime set a strategic goal of becoming ""a powerful and prosperous nation"" through military-first policy. Sergey Kurbanov, head of the Institute of Korean Studies of the University of Saint Petersburg, described in his ""Daily NK"" interview how the members of the ""nouveau riche"" in North Korea support the military-first politics in order"
"so hungry that they ate the maize cobs before the crop was fully developed."" This reduced expected production of an already ravaged harvest by 50%. People everywhere were affected by the crisis, regardless of gender, affiliation or social class. Child malnutrition, as indicated by severe underweight, was found at 3% in 1987, 14% in 1997 and 7% in 2002. ""Songun"" is North Korea's ""Military First"" policy, which prioritizes the Korean People's Army in affairs of state and allocates national resources to the ""army first"". Even though the armed forces were given priority for the distribution of food, this did not"
"Politics of North Korea The politics of North Korea (officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea) takes place within the framework of the official state philosophy, ""Juche"", a concept created by Hwang Jang-yop and later attributed to Kim Il-sung. The ""Juche"" theory is the belief that through self-reliance and a strong independent state, true socialism can be achieved. North Korea's political system is built upon the principle of centralization. While the North Korean constitution formally guarantees protection of human rights, in practice there are severe limits on freedom of expression, and the government closely supervises the lives of North Korean"
"Korean War. Propaganda worked to reinforce the ideology of the people working together to rebuild. Propaganda themes of economic prosperity were also to show South Korea as superior to North Korea and counter its anti-capitalist themes. Several economic reforms were enacted under president Park Chung-Hee from the 1960s and 1970s that were credited with South Korea’s current economic success. South Korea now ranks 15th among world economies rising from third world status after the war. The New Village Movement or Saemaul Movement beginning in 1970 was considered an ideological movement directed by the Park government to the South Korean people"
"the center of the North Korean political system; all the social sectors are forced to follow the military spirit and adopt military methods. Kim Jong-il's public activity focused heavily on ""on-the-spot guidance"" of places and events related to the military. The enhanced status of the military and military-centered political system was confirmed at the first session of the 10th Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) by the promotion of NDC members into the official power hierarchy. All ten NDC members were ranked within the top twenty on 5 September, and all but one occupied the top twenty at the fiftieth anniversary of"
"classification, and that children can grow up without knowing about their family status. Similarly, analyst Helen-Louise Hunter describes songbun as ""class background"" and says that it is not officially published or precisely defined. The North Korean government, on the contrary, proclaims that all citizens are equal and denies any discrimination on the basis of family background. Since the collapse of the Eastern Bloc in the late 1980s to early 1990s, the importance of songbun has decreased. Before the collapse, the North Korean economy was heavily subsidized by the bloc. Through these funds, the government was able to provide all material"
"his ""on-the-spot guidance"" visits. Over half of Kim Jong-il's visits were made to military units or were otherwise military-related, although he also made visits to the agricultural and light industry sites. This focus on visiting army bases and other military installations during the ""Arduous March"" period emphasized the government's ""military-first"" (""Songun"") strategy to the North Korean public. The large volume of visits made by Kim was emphasized in North Korean propaganda. ""In contrast to his father, Kim Jong-un has ... focused his on-the-spot guidance visits on Pyongyang."" Along with Kim Jong-un's undertaking of projects directed to appeal to this class,"
"textbooks include an idealized depiction of the economic development of North Korea and Songun policy of Kim Jong-il. One of the issues is funding. The schools were originally set up and run with support from the North Korean government but this money has now dried up, and with dropping pupil numbers, many schools are facing financial difficulties. The Japanese government has refused Chongryon's requests that it fund ethnic schools in line with regular Japanese schools, citing Article 89 of the Japanese Constitution, where use of public funds for education by non-public bodies is prohibited. In reality the schools are in"