ABSTRACT
The prevailing doctrinal paradigm when Kim Jong-un came to power with the death of his father on December 17, 2011, was that of Songun , or “military-fi rst.” If “military-fi rst” politics ( songun jeongchi ) is the realist political framework that defi nes the way North Korea is ruled, then it also forms the rhetorical boundary within which state and party offi cials exercise whatever limited political freedom of movement they might at any specifi c time possess. 1 The entrenched nature of Songun in North Korean political culture was emphasised time and again in the months after Kim Jong-il’s death; from commemorative speeches and political slogans to artwork and poetry surrounding the departed Kim Jong-il, Songun was placed in a dominant position. 2 In this chapter, we argue that Songun is the prevailing doctrine of the North Korean state and a key social and institutional ordering principal. It represents the principal position of the state and helps to determine what is and is not possible in domestic and foreign policy. In addition to defi ning national priorities, it also serves to organise society in congruence with the priorities of the state. Further to this, we posit that Songun represents both doctrinal and thus policy continuity from Kim Jong-il to Kim Jong-un. The North Korean military, the ostensible manifestation or benefi ciary of the “military-fi rst” policy, maintained its bureaucratic and apparently budgetary preeminence.
