Day of Songun

Day of Songun is observed on August 25 in North Korea to commemorate the beginning of Kim Jong Il’s military-first leadership. The date marks his reported 1960 visit with Kim Il Sung to the 105th Seoul Ryu Kyong Su Guards 1st Division, an event officially regarded as the starting point of the Songun—or “military first”—policy.

The observance highlights the central role that North Korea’s armed forces have held in the country’s political history and national identity. August 25 is marked through commemorative events, speeches, cultural programs, and tributes honoring military service and the country’s defense efforts.

The **Day of Songun**, observed on **August 25**, is a North Korean state observance centered on *Songun*, usually translated as “military first.” The date refers to **August 25, 1960**, when Kim Jong Il is said by North Korean official histories to have accompanied Kim Il Sung on a visit to the 105th Seoul Ryu Kyong Su Guards Armored Division. Pyongyang presents that visit as the beginning of Kim Jong Il’s leadership of the armed forces and as an early milestone in the development of Songun politics. These accounts form part of North Korea’s official historical narrative and are closely tied to the country’s personality-centered political system.

Songun became especially prominent during the 1990s, when North Korea faced severe economic disruption, the loss of Soviet support, food shortages, and heightened tensions with the United States and South Korea. Under Kim Jong Il, the military was portrayed not only as the principal defender of national sovereignty but also as a leading force in political, economic, and social development. The policy emphasized strengthening the Korean People’s Army and mobilizing society around national defense. Although military priorities had long been important in North Korean politics, the term *Songun* was increasingly used during this period to describe the country’s governing approach.

North Korea began giving August 25 a distinct commemorative status in the early 2010s. The observance was publicly elevated during Kim Jong Un’s leadership, with official events highlighting Kim Jong Il’s military legacy, the army’s loyalty to the ruling Kim family, and the continuity between the revolutionary generation and the present-day government. Ceremonies and media coverage commonly include speeches, political education, artistic performances, military-themed exhibitions, and praise for soldiers and veterans. The day functions both as a historical commemoration and as a means of reinforcing the armed forces’ central place in the state.

Culturally and politically, the Day of Songun reflects North Korea’s effort to connect national identity with military strength, self-reliance, and resistance to foreign pressure. It also supports the government’s presentation of leadership succession as a continuous process extending from Kim Il Sung through Kim Jong Il to Kim Jong Un. While the observance is described in official sources as a celebration of national defense and revolutionary tradition, outside historians generally treat its historical interpretation as part of North Korea’s state-sponsored ideology rather than as an independently verifiable account of every event associated with the date.