Comrade Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and President of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, oversaw an artillery firing contest of artillery sub-units under the large combined units of the Korean People's Army in the western area organized on April 15, the Day of the Sun, the birthday of President Kim Il Sung.

He was greeted on the spot by No Kwang Chol, minister of National Defence of the DPRK, Ri Yong Gil, chief of the General Staff of the KPA, Kim Song Gi, director of the General Political Bureau of the KPA, and other commanding officers of the Ministry of National Defence and military and political commanding officers of the KPA large combined units in the western area.

The artillery firing contest was conducted according to the contest rules set out in conformity with a simulated tactical environment.

In the contest, the artillery sub-units powerfully demonstrated the militant marksmanship they had sharpened to the full with a strong desire to complete combat preparations, and clearly showed their full war readiness.

The artillery sub-unit of the Capital City Defence Corps won the first place in the contest.

The 4th Corps of the KPA came second, the 2nd Corps third, the 8th Corps fourth and the 3rd Corps fifth.

Comrade Kim Jong Un expressed satisfaction over the fact that the artillery firing contest, held to mark the greatest auspicious holiday of the nation, served as an important occasion in enhancing the training enthusiasm of the artillerymen and remarkably increasing their militant might.

The positive utilization of the artillery force is the most important factor determining the victory in an operation and battle and furthermore in a war, he said, stressing that the KPA should as ever put spurs to the artillery combat readiness, true to the Party's policy of attaching importance to and strengthening the artillery and that the Party Central Committee's strategic plan for modernization of the artillery force should be thoroughly implemented within the new five-year plan for the development of national defence.

He said that it is good for army units at all levels to frequently organize training contests on national holidays like today and other major occasions, adding that the KPA should be engrossed only in the training for rounding off the combat preparations and that it is precisely the way for realizing President Kim Il Sung's desire for building a powerful army, an expression of loyalty to the Party, the revolution, the country and the people and the duty of the army.

The sub-unit which won the training contest was awarded a diploma, medal and badge.