About the Author
Subin Kim
Subin Kim (@SubinBKim) is an NK News contributor based in Seoul, South Korea. He translated Lankov's The Real North Korea into Korean and is a reserve air defense artillery lieutenant in the Republic of Korea Air Force.
While still praised as the country’s guiding ideology, Kim Jong Il’s Songun (military-first) idea is now declining in actual influence over North Korean state strategy, Kyongnam University professor Kim Keun-sik said in an interview with NK News.
Kim Jong Un, now having a firm grip on leadership, has rebalanced the party-military relationship by weakening the armed forces, which had become bloated under his father’s reign, and seeks to diversify North Korea’s foreign policy partners, Kim said.