Pyŏngjin (Korean: 병진; Hanja: 并進; lit. 'parallel development') is a political term in North Korea. It originally refers to Kim Il Sung's policy in the 1960s to simultaneously develop the military and the economy. Under Kim Jong Un, grandson of Kim Il Sung, it has referred to simultaneous development of the military and the economy.[1]
| Pyŏngjin | |
| Hangul | 병진 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 并進 |
| Lit. | parallel development |
| RR | byeongjin |
| MR | pyŏngjin |
The term pyŏngjin means "progress in tandem" or "move two things forward simultaneously" and refers to Kim Il Sung's stated policy, propagated in 1962, of developing both the military and the economy of North Korea together. In practice, resources were disproportionately allocated to the military at the relative expense of the economy.[2]
Pyŏngjin under Kim Jong Un
editIn 2013, Kim Jong Un revived the policy with a focus on simultaneous development of the military and the economy.[2]
See also
editReferences
editCitations
edit- ↑ Easley 2018, p. 125.
- 1 2 Yeol, Kim So (1 April 2013). "Byungjin Lives as Kim Seeks Guns and Butter". Daily NK English. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
Sources
edit- Easley, Leif-Eric (2018). "North Korean Identity as a Challenge to East Asia's Regional Order". In Sohn, Yul; Pempel, T. J. (eds.). Japan and Asia's Contested Order: The Interplay of Security, Economics, and Identity. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 109–144. ISBN 9789811302565.
Further reading
edit- Cheon Seong-Whun (23 April 2013). "The Kim Jong-un Regime's 'Byungjin'(Parallel Development) Policy of Economy and Nuclear Weapons and the 'April 1st Nuclearization Law'" (PDF). Seoul: Korea Institute for National Unification. Online Series 1 CO 13-11.
- Hayes, P.; Cavazos, R. (2016). "North Korea in 2015: 'Yes I Can!' Byungjin and Kim Jong Uns Strategic Patience". Asian Survey. 56 (1): 68–77. doi:10.1525/as.2016.56.1.68. ISSN 0004-4687. S2CID 156734114.
- Lankov, Andrei (2017). "Is Byungjin Policy Failing? Kim Jong Un's Unannounced Reform and its Chances of Success". The Korean Journal of Defense Analysis. 29 (1): 125–145. ISSN 1941-4641.
- Tak Sung Han; Jeon Kyung Joo (2014). "Can North Korea Catch Two Rabbits at Once: Nuke and Economy? One Year of the Byungjin Line in North Korea and Its Future". The Korean Journal of Defense Analysis. 26 (2): 133–153. ISSN 1941-4641.
- Winstanley-Chesters, Robert (2016). "Treasured Swords: Environment under the Byungjin Line". In Cathcart, Adam; Winstanley-Chesters, Robert; Green, Christopher K. (eds.). Change and Continuity in North Korean Politics (1st ed.). London: Routledge. doi:10.4324/9781315545646. ISBN 978-1-315-54564-6.