Strong and Prosperous Nation


Strong and Prosperous Nation is a policy initiated by North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. The term first appeared in North Korean media in August 1998 in reference to Kim Jong-il having provided "on-the-spot guidance" in Chagang Province in February 1998. In an effort to build a “strong and prosperous” nation, North Korea focuses on four areas: ideology, politics, the military, and the economy. Kim Jong-il's son and successor Kim Jong-un declared 2012, the centennial of the birth of Kim Il-sung, as the year of Strong and Prosperous Nation.
According to Victor Cha, the policy has been "an utter failure in terms of the state's performance, with the one exception of building nuclear weapons".

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