December 07, 2023
Analysis

Understanding North Korea’s ‘final victory’ and why it matters

For top North Korean officials, the quickest way to ensure their system’s long-term survival is through reunification

Two months after the Korean War began, North Korean founder Kim Il Sung sent Soviet leader Joseph Stalin a telegram that said, “We have firmly resolved to win the final victory in the struggle against the American interventionists, who are trying anew to enslave Korea.”

More than 70 years after Kim first mentioned the “final victory” of reunification, the idea of a victorious Korean People’s Army (KPA) tank rolling up to the Blue House seems fantastical to the casual observer.