The Day of ''Songun'' () is a public holiday in North Korea celebrated on 25 August annually to commemorate the beginning of

Kim Jong-il Kim Jong-il (; ; ; born Yuri Irsenovich Kim;, 16 February 1941 – 17 December 2011) was a North Korean politician who was the second supreme leader of North Korea from 1994 to 2011. He led North Korea from the 1994 death of his father Ki ...

's ''

Songun ''Songun'' is the " military-first" policy of North Korea, prioritizing the Korean People's Army in the affairs of state and allocation of resources. "Military-first" as a principle guides political and economic life in North Korea, with "mili ...

'' (military-first) leadership in 1960. In 2013,

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 ...

elevated the holiday to an official status on the

North Korean calendar The ''Juche'' calendar, named after the ''Juche'' ideology, is the system of year-numbering used in North Korea. It begins with the birth of Kim Il-sung, the founder of North Korea. His birth year, 1912 in the Gregorian calendar, is "''Juche'' ...

, on par with the Day of the Sun (birth anniversary of

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 ...

). Thus it became the holiday associated with Kim Jong-un, with his own birthday still missing from the official calendar. This has helped to further Kim Jong-un's charismatic rule. According to North Korea analyst Adam Cathcart, the purpose of the holiday is "to reinforce Kim Jong-un's legitimacy to rule, confirm the principle of very early succession and young leadership, and emphasize the preternatural military abilities of the sons in the Kim family." On the calendar, the 25 August holiday takes place after the

Liberation Day Liberation Day is a day, often a public holiday, that marks the liberation of a place, similar to an independence day. Liberation marks the date of either a revolution, as in Cuba, the fall of a dictatorship, as in Portugal, or the end of an oc ...

(15 August) and before the Day of the Foundation of the Republic (9 September). Day of ''Songun'' is one of three days celebrating Kim Jong-il on the calendar, the other two being the

Day of the Shining Star The Day of the Shining Star () is a public holiday in North Korea falling on 16 February, the anniversary of the birth of the country's second leader, Kim Jong-il. Along with the Day of the Sun, the birthday of his father Kim Il-sung, it is th ...

(his birth anniversary) and Generalissimo Day (commemorating his accession to the rank of '' Taewonsu'').

Background

'' (military-first) is the political ideology peculiar to

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 ...

that all problems in society can be corrected by giving priority to military affairs. Its roots are traced to

's activities during the

anti-Japanese struggle The Korean independence movement was a military and diplomatic campaign to achieve the independence of Korea from Japan. After the Japanese annexation of Korea in 1910, Korea's domestic resistance peaked in the March 1st Movement of 1919, which w ...

of the 1930s, but it is especially identified with

. Lately, ''Songun'' has been associated with

in his effort balance the interests of the ruling

Workers' Party of Korea The Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) is the founding and sole ruling party of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea. Founded in 1949 from the merger of the Workers' Party of North Korea and the Workers' Party ...

and the

Korean People's Army The Korean People's Army (KPA; ) is the military force of North Korea and the armed wing of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). Under the '' Songun'' policy, it is the central institution of North Korean society. Currently, WPK General S ...

(KPA). According to

Fyodor Tertitskiy Fyodor, Fedor (russian: Фёдор) or Feodor is the Russian form of the name "Theodore" meaning “God’s Gift”. Fedora () is the feminine form. Fyodor and Fedor are two English transliterations of the same Russian name. It may refer to: Giv ...

, the term has largely lost its original meaning and now simply means anything "good". Consequentially, Day of ''Songun'' is not so much about the army as it is about the person of Kim Jong-il. Until 2005, the history of

's ''Songun'' leadership was presented as having begun on 1 January 1995 with his visit to a guard-post. After 2005, the date was backtracked to 1960 to suggest a much longer held tradition. The Day of ''Songun'' commemorates his supposed 25 August 1960 inspection of the Seoul Ryu Kyong Su Guards 105th Tank Division with his father Kim Il-sung. The visit is considered the beginning of his ''Songun'' leadership. Although Jong-il would have been 18 then and not yet started his studies at

Kim Il-sung University Kim Il-sung University, founded on 1 October 1946, is the first university built in North Korea. It is located on a campus in Pyongyang, the nation's capital. Along with the main academic buildings, the campus contains 10 separate offices, 50 l ...

, according to, Tertitskiy, " e date looks right, as it seemingly the date when Kim Jong Il made his first steps up the political ladder".

History

Standard of the Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army

The commemoration was not a major celebration under Kim Jong-il's rule, but there had been annual celebrations even before the holiday was officially instituted. Plans for an official holiday surfaced in 2012, and the

Korean Central News Agency The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) is the state news agency of North Korea. The agency portrays the views of the North Korean government for both domestic and foreign consumption. It was established on December 5, 1946 and now features onli ...

(KCNA) reported some celebration of a "Day of ''Songun''" already back then. Kim Jong-un delivered a speech during the 2012 festivities, entitled "Only Victory and Glory Will Be in Store for Us Who are Advancing under the Unfurled Flag Bearing the Immortal Beaming Images of the Great Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il". The next year, on 25 August 2013,

officially announced the holiday in a long speech, entitled "Let Us Forever Glorify Comrade Kim Jong Il's Great Idea and Achievements of the Military-First Revolution", published in ''

Rodong Sinmun ''Rodong Sinmun'' (; ) is a North Korean newspaper that serves as the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. It was first published on November 1, 1945, as ''Chŏngro'' (), serving as a communication channel ...

'' and ''

Joson Inmingun ''Joson Inmingun'' ( ko, 조선인민군, ''Korean People's Army'') is the newspaper of Korean People's Army. It was first published on July 10, 1948. See also * List of newspapers in North Korea * Telecommunications in North Korea * Media of N ...

''. In it, Kim Jong-un declared: The next day, 26 August, a decree on instituting the Day of ''Songun'' as an annual national holiday was adopted by the

Supreme People's Assembly The Supreme People's Assembly (SPA; ) is the unicameral legislature of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), commonly known as North Korea. It consists of one deputy from each of the DPRK's 687 constituencies, elected to five-year ...

Celebrations

The Day of ''Songun'' is marked with flying the

flag of North Korea The flag of North Korea, also known as the Ramhongsaek Konghwagukgi ( ko, 람홍색공화국기; literally "blue and red-coloured flag of the republic"), sometimes known as the flag of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, consists of a ce ...

, by civilians, and the flag of the Supreme Commander of the KPA by military units. Observances include galas for service people, dancing parties around the country, outdoor concerts, laying bouquets, and visiting historic sites.

References

External links

"Only Victory and Glory Will Be in Store for Us Who are Advancing under the Unfurled Flag Bearing the Immortal Beaming Images of the Great Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il"
(2012) at the Association for the Study of ''Songun'' Politics UK

(2013) at the

{{Public holidays in North Korea 2013 establishments in North Korea Anniversaries Annual events in North Korea August observances Kim Jong-il Public holidays in North Korea Summer events in North Korea