The Kim Jong-un National Defense University () is a

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

located in

Ryongsong-guyok Ryongsŏng-guyŏk, or Ryongsŏng District (룡성구역) is one of the 18 guyŏk that constitute Pyongyang, North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes th ...

Pyongyang Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populat ...

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

. The university focuses on the scientific and technical training of North Korea's national defense personnel.

History

The university was founded by

Kim Il-sung Kim Il-sung (; , ; born Kim Song-ju, ; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he ruled from the country's establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of ...

in October 1964 as the National Defense College (Korean: 국방대학). It was initially located in

Kanggye Kanggye () is the provincial capital of Chagang, North Korea and has a population of 251,971. Because of its strategic importance, derived from its topography, it has been of military interest from the time of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). His ...

Chagang Province Chagang Province (Chagangdo; ) is a province in North Korea; it is bordered by China's Jilin and Liaoning provinces to the north, Ryanggang and South Hamgyong to the east, South Pyongan to the south, and North Pyongan to the west. Chagang was ...

. The college was soon renamed as the National Defense University (Korean: 국방종합대학). The university was transferred to Pyongyang in 2000. In June 2016,

Kim Jong-un Kim Jong-un (; , ; born 8 January 1982) is a North Korean politician who has been Supreme Leader of North Korea since 2011 and the leader of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is a son of Kim Jong-il, who was North Korea's sec ...

visited the National Defense University where he said that he would turn it into the most prestigious university for training national defense science personnel. The name of the university was changed to include Kim Jong-un's name following his visit. In 2020, the university participated in the

Party Foundation Day The Party Foundation Day ( ko, 조선로동당 창건일) is an annual public holiday in North Korea marking the 10 October 1945 foundation of the "Central Organizing Committee of the Communist Party of North Korea", known as the " North Korea Bu ...

military parade A military parade is a formation of soldiers whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as drilling or marching. The military parade is now almost entirely ceremonial, though soldiers from time immemorial up until the la ...

for the first time. The school dean was put in charge of the school's preparation for the parade and a former soldier with "relevant experience" served as flag bearer for the KJU University colour.

National defense role

According to Kim Jong-un, the National Defense University deals with scientific and technical problems on the modernization of North Korea's armed forces and the development of high-tech weapons. Kim also mentioned that the university has a role in consolidating the country's status as a nuclear weapon state. The June 13 Information Technology Company is affiliated with the university.

References

{{reflist Military academies Universities in North Korea Education in Pyongyang Buildings and structures in Pyongyang Educational institutions established in 1945 1945 establishments in Korea Military education and training in North Korea