by Stephan Haggard and Luke Herman

A series of meetings and statements since the successful satellite and nuclear tests suggests that a new ideological line is taking shape in North Korea. We are looking for an appropriate label. “Missiles and Nuclear Weapons First Policy” comes to mind, but it is a little inelegant. We have decided on “Songun Mark 2.0.”

At least some evidence for this new line can be found by comparing on-the-spot guidance visits by Kim Jong Il and Kim Jong Un over the last two years using the NK Leadership Tracker. Figure 1 below shows