ABSTRACT
This chapter examines how the framework of North Korea’s defense planning with a focus on the Line of Self-reliant Defence. The first section describes the developments in North Korea’s defense planning doctrine that purports to autonomously strengthen the KPA’s readiness while also ensuring the military’s integrity and loyalty under the leadership’s control. The second section will describe each of the guidelines of the Line of Self-reliant Defence and examines the key dilemmas. The third section will then explain the macro dilemmas of the Line of Self-reliant Defence that affect North Korea’s ability to manage and strengthen the armed forces. The fourth section then outlines how North Korea pursued its defense planning since the 1960s, explaining the evolution despite the consistency with the defense planning doctrine.
