physics

Pyŏngjin

Pyŏngjin is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Pyŏngjin rather than just read about it. In short: 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.

Key takeaways

Pyŏngjin belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Pyŏngjin to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Pyŏngjin from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

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. 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.

Pyŏngjin under Kim Jong Un In 2013, Kim Jong Un revived the policy with a focus on simultaneous development of the military and the economy.

See also

Economy of North Korea Korean People's Army North Korea and weapons of mass destruction Juche Songun Strong and Prosperous Nation

References

Citations

Sources

Further reading 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.

External links A Note on Byungjin by B. R. Myers

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Pyŏngjin

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Pyŏngjin claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Pyŏngjin before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Pyŏngjin ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Pyŏngjin

In research: Pyŏngjin appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Pyŏngjin in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Pyŏngjin is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Economy of North Korea, Kim Il Sung, Militarism, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Pyŏngjin outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Pyŏngjin in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Pyŏngjin means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Pyŏngjin out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pyŏngjin in simple terms?

Why does Pyŏngjin matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Pyŏngjin?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Pyŏngjin.