"Strong and Prosperous Nation" (Korean: 강성대국; lit. "powerful and great country") is a political slogan in North Korea which originally described the main policy objective of the country's second supreme leader, Kim Jong Il.^[1] Kim Jong Il argued that the military-first policy of Songun was necessary to turn North Korea into a "strong and prosperous nation".^[1] He further argued that such a monumentous goal could only be achieved by strengthening the country's commitment to the core principles of Juche (i.e. self-reliance) in the areas of ideology, politics, economics, and defence.^[2]

After Kim Jong-il's death on 17 December 2011, his son and successor Kim Jong Un repurposed the slogan to introduce new concepts into North Korean ideological discourse.^[3] Kim Jong Un later declared 2012, the centennial of the birth of Kim Il Sung, as the "Year of the Strong and Prosperous Nation".^[4]

Officially, the term "Strong and Prosperous Nation" first appeared as the title of a lengthy editorial published on 22 August 1998 in Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of the Workers' Party of Korea.^[5] The article was heavily promoted to the North Korean public following the publication of another editorial on 9 September 1998, which celebrated the 50th anniversary of North Korea's founding.^[5]

South Korea's Ministry of Unification, however, notes that the term had been used prior to the August editorial's publication; its earliest recorded usage was on 8 April 1998, in a news segment by the North Korean state broadcaster KCBC.^[6] The following quote accompanied footage of Kim Jong Il providing "on-the-spot guidance" in Chagang Province in February 1998: "When the spirit of Kangson and the revolutionary spirit of Kanggye arise, the fatherland will become a strong and prosperous nation and exert its power throughout the world."^[6]

• Propaganda in North Korea