• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

National Meeting Marks 14th Anniversary of Kim Jong Il's Assumption of Office as KPA Supreme Commander

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK via Korea News Service (KNS)

    Pyongyang, December 23 (KCNA) -- A national meeting to mark the 14th anniversary of leader Kim Jong Il's assumption of office as supreme commander of the Korean People's Army took place at the April 25 House of Culture on Dec. 23. The meeting was attended by Kim Yong Nam, Jo Myong Rok, Pak Pong Ju and others.
    KPA Vice Marshal Kim Yong Chun who is member of the DPRK National Defence Commission and chief of the KPA General Staff, made a report. Kim Jong Il's assumption of supreme commandership of the revolutionary armed forces of the DPRK marked an epochal event of great significance in accomplishing the Juche cause of building the army and developing the Korean revolution and it was the biggest fortune for the army and people of the DPRK, the reporter said, and continued:
    Since early in the 1960s when he started leading the army he has wisely led the cause of building the army holding aloft the banner of the Songun idea which President Kim Il Sung set out when he was pioneering the Korean revolution and had consistently maintained, thus making a history of a turn in building the revolutionary armed forces of Juche.
    Kim Jong Il, who held the important post of the supreme commander of the KPA according to the unanimous desire and will of the army and people of the DPRK, has brought about a new great turning-point in building the armed forces as required by the Korean revolution which has developed in depth on the basis of the noble exploits and a wealth of experience he has gained in accomplishing the cause of building the army and effected a historic turn in the efforts to raise the position of the army as the core and its leading role in the revolution and construction.
    Underscoring the need for all the servicepersons and people to defend the headquarters of the revolution headed by Kim Jong Il at the cost of their lives and unconditionally implement the party's line and policies, the reporter continued:
    We should resolutely defend the immortal Songun revolutionary exploits performed by Kim Jong Il in leading the army and people along the road of victory and eternally glorify them as the eternal cornerstone of our party and the revolution and the best treasure of the nation. All the Party members, servicepersons and people should absolutely trust and follow Kim Jong Il, single-mindedly unite around him to firmly defend the single-minded unity of all the servicepersons and people with the revolutionary headquarters as its core and demonstrate its invincible might. We should wage a more vigorous movement for winning the title of O Jung Hup-led 7th Regiment to make the whole army the vanguard devotedly defending the revolutionary headquarters, the first-line human bullets and bombs and thus firmly develop the KPA into a main force, a core unit of the revolution.
    All servicepersons of the KPA should always and sharply follow the enemies' moves with high revolutionary vigilance and keep themselves combat ready to beat back any sudden aggression by them.
    We should give fuller play to the traditional traits of the army-people unity, the foundation of our society.
    We should, at the same time, firmly adhere to the Party's line of economic construction in the Songun era and direct greater efforts to developing the defence industry on a priority basis so as to bolster our war deterrent for self-defence a thousand times.
    The reporter called for realizing the three forms of cooperation--national independence, peace against war and reunification and patriotism--under the banner of the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration and thus building an independent and prosperous reunified power on this land of three thousand-ri by the concerted efforts of the Koreans.
    He went on to say:
    We are still standing in acute confrontation with the imperialist reactionaries.
    The U.S. is now keen on economic sanctions and "human rights" racket aimed at overthrowing the system in the DPRK behind the curtain of dialogue. We will further increase our military deterrent to defend our system as long as the U.S. continues to pursue its hostile policy toward the DPRK. If the U.S. imperialists provoke a war of aggression at any cost, the army and people of the DPRK will mercilessly wipe out the enemies with the might of Songun to resolutely protect the dignity and sovereignty of the country and the nation.