Origins of the North Korean Garrison State

The People's Army and the Korean War

By: Youngjun Kim

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Hardcover | 8 August 2017 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Hardcover
272 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
16.4 x 27.5 x 2.0

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This book concerns the development of the North Korean People's Army (NKPA) from 1945 to 1953 and traces how Kim Il Sung built a successful fighting force and from it created the bulwark of his authoritarian state.

Drawing on primary sources, the work demonstrates how the experiences of the Korean War shaped North Korea into a closed, militarized and xenophobic state and made it passionately seek the Juche (Self-Reliance) ideology and weapons of mass destruction. The book's thesis is original in terms of four key arguments. First, it argues that Kim Il Sung played a very important role in starting the Korean War and preparing the NKPA for war. With the Soviet military administration providing guidelines, Kim and his faction enjoyed a high degree of autonomy in how they built the army and created a new society, creating the identity and culture of the NKPA and of North Korean society, as it is today. Second, it claims that the NKPA was not just the product of the Soviet Union but was in fact the product of both the USSR and the People's Republic of China, but.Chinese cultural influence was more significant than Soviet material culture in shaping the NKPA. Third, the author argues that, before the war, the NKPA enjoyed popular support because it was a good place for poor people to secure upward mobility; as such, the establishment of a new elite was important for building legitimacy in North Korea and it remains the backbone of power in North Korea today. Lastly, the work argues that the experiences during the war, developed a community spirit among North Koreans as the people suffered high casualties because of the US strategic bombing campaign and felt themselves as victims. The leaders of North Korea have tapped into these memories of victimization that they implanted in the North Korean people and stoked their continuing fears through the Juche ideology. Thus, the regime has garnered popular support for North Korea's continuing militarized state, despite the great privations imposed on the people.

This book will be of much interest to students of North Korea, the Korean War, Asian politics, Cold War Studies, military and strategic studies, and international history.

Industry Reviews

'As the actions and threats of the North Korean military continue to be a cause of global concern, Youngjun Kim gives us an unprecedented and detailed glimpse into the origins and formative years of the Korean People's Army. More than a military history, Origins of the North Korean Garrison State offers a social and cultural context that explains how the North Korean military emerged as the key institution of North Korean society. The "garrison state" created in the late 1940s and early 1950s is in many ways still the North Korea of today. A timely and important book.' -- Charles Armstrong, Columbia University, USA

'Youngjun Kim's richly detailed examination of the creation and early development of the Korean People's Army significantly advances our understanding of the formation of the garrison state in North Korea. Drawing on documentary evidence, memoirs, and scholarly literature in multiple languages, Kim presents the KPA as a hybrid of Korean, Soviet, and Chinese elements.' -- Kathryn Weathersby, Korea University, Republic of Korea

'This book is the most comprehensive, authoritative, single-volume work currently available on the making of the Korean People's Army (KPA) and the regime of Kim IL Sung. It is required reading for anyone who wants to understand the foundation of the North Korean regime, the outbreak of the Korean War, the incredible performance of the KPA against ROK Army and U.S. Army in the initial phases of the war, and the continued existence of the hereditary rulers of North Korea. Youngjun Kim's book enhances our understanding of the nature of the problem we face today with a nuclear armed North Korea. I highly recommend this book.' -- Adrian R. Lewis, University of Kansas, USA

'The military has long been the most important institution in North Korea. It has been the basis of the Kim family's rule since 1945, it is the 4th largest army in the world (at 1.3 million it is just behind the American military, which is 3rd), and it is the core of the world's most amazing garrison state. Yet we have had very little scholarly work on it until Youngjun Kim's new book. Deeply researched, cogent and fascinating, this book will be a standard work for years to come.' -- Bruce Cumings, University of Chicago, USA

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