This book investigates the origins of the North Korean garrison state by examining the development of the Korean People’s Army and the legacies of the Korean War.

Introduction : the Korean People's Army invasion of the South --Three core groups of the Korean People's Army -- The Korean factor : Kim ll Sung's version for the KPA -- The Soviet Union factor 1 : the Soviet Union in North Korean society -- The Soviet Union factor 2 : the formation of the KPA and initiator Kim ll Sung -- The Chinese factor -- The leadership of the Korean People's Army : the party-military relations and generalship of the Korean People's Army -- Korean People's Army performance and the legacy of the war : the rise and fall of the Korean People's Army and the making of the garrison state.