Origins of the North Korean Garrison State: The People’s Army and the Korean War

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.