ABSTRACT

This chapter explains the formation of the Korean People’s Army and the initiative of Kim Il Sung. First, this chapter explains that the Korean People’s Army’s “copy-and-paste” process of transformation from the Soviet model for its development led to many problems because the Korean People’s Army had a different historical background from the Red Army. Second, this chapter demonstrates that the North Korean elite took the initiative in building the Korean People’s Army, while the Soviet Union only played a secondary role as an advisor and supporter, not an initiator and a primary actor.