[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.
[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] 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.