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

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

Benjamin R. Young September 6, 2021

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

NK News (file) |Bronze statues commemorate those who died fighting for North Korea, Taesongsan Revolutionary Martyr's Cemetery, Pyongyang, North Korea, May 9, 2010

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.

About the Author

Benjamin R. Young

Benjamin R. Young is an Assistant Professor of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness at VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University). He is the author of Guns, Guerillas, and the Great Leader: North Korea and the Third World (Stanford University Press, 2021). He received his Ph.D. from The George Washington University in 2018. He has previously taught at the U.S. Naval War College and Dakota State University. He has published peer-reviewed articles on North Korean history and politics in a number of scholarly journals and is a regular contributor to NK News.

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