General Secretary Kim Jong Un’s Revolutionary Activities

The Korean People's Army, the ever-victorious elite ranks, has formulated afresh the concept of a powerful army and the law of victory with its unique ideological and moral superiority of remaining absolutely loyal to the leadership of the Workers' Party of Korea, unparalleled mass heroism, matchless bravery and indomitable fighting spirit, and boosted the absolute might of the revolutionary armed forces to the peak of honour. It is marking its founding anniversary with pride, adding a page of shining victories and miracles to the great army-building history.

The KPA is adding to the greatness of the Party and the state and ushering in a new era of prosperity and development in the vanguard of the revolution seething with struggle and transformation for the eternal prosperity of the country and the wellbeing of the people, true to the sacred letters embroidered on its glorious colours. Its legendary feats and dynamic advance constitute a source of great pride of the state and the people and a symbol of their strong dignity and inexhaustible strength.

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, paid a congratulatory visit to the Ministry of National Defence of the DPRK on February 8, the 78th founding anniversary of the KPA, to congratulate and encourage all officers and men of the army.

He was accompanied by Pak Jong Chon, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of the WPK and secretary of the WPK Central Committee.

All the commanding officers were filled with an overwhelming emotion and joy as they came to greet the great brilliant commander visiting the Ministry of National Defence with his ardent desire to put his trust, infinitely precious for the existence and development of the revolutionary armed forces, in them again on the significant Army Founding Day.

There was a solemn ceremony of greeting the Supreme Commander.

Comrade Kim Jong Un reviewed the guard of honour of the Korean People's Army.

The Ministry of National Defence presented him with a bouquet of fragrant flowers reflecting the boundless reverence of all the KPA service personnel for him.

He was courteously greeted by major commanding officers of the Ministry of National Defence and commanders of the KPA large combined units.

He reviewed the colours of victory, symbols of honour of the large and other combined units at all levels of the KPA.

All the participants raised stormy cheers of "Hurrah!" looking up to the greatest commander in the world who has led the Juche-oriented cause of building a powerful army to victory with his outstanding army-building ideas and commanding art to fully demonstrate the dignity, might and fame of the armed forces and add eternal glory to the long army-building history.

The national flag of the DPRK was hoisted.

The guard of honour of the KPA marched in a fine array, being reviewed by the Supreme Commander.

Kim Jong Un delivered a significant speech on the occasion of Army Founding Day.

In the speech, he said:

“All the generals and other officers and soldiers of the heroic armed forces of the Republic,

“Generals and other officers at the Ministry of National Defence, the supreme commanding organ of the Korean People's Army,

“I congratulate you on the February 8 Army Founding Day.

“This day, when we recall with pride our army's heroic building history and its ever-victorious course, is a revolutionary holiday which is significantly celebrated not only by the service personnel but also by all the people throughout the country.

“On behalf of the Party and government, I extend warm congratulations and militant greetings to all the officers and soldiers on the occasion of Army Founding Day in reflection of my mind always thankful to our army that is playing every role and making infinite devotion for our great state and people, shouldering a great mission and heavy duty incomparable to those of other armies in the world.

“I also pay my respects to the responsible efforts of the commanding officers of the Ministry of National Defence and the military and political cadres of the large combined units, who are doing their best to perfectly embody the military lines and policies of the Party in the military and political activities of the entire army.

“In particular, I extend warm encouragement and congratulations to the commanding officers and other combatants of the overseas special operations units, who are carrying out the order of their homeland in combat positions in the faraway alien land, staking the honour of their heroic army, as I want to see them all the more today.

“Comrades,

“We greet this day every year, but today I have come here with a really special feeling.

“As it is the day we are celebrating in the lead-up to the Ninth Party Congress, which will open soon, I feel more keenly the greatness and preciousness of our army.

“In looking back upon the victorious journey of our army over the past turbulent five years as it has always been since its founding, today's glory would never be conceivable separated from the enormous role our army has played. At this thought, I can hardly find enough words to express my heartfelt thanks to all the officers and soldiers of our army.

“Officers and soldiers of the KPA,

“You have done really great things to support the Party's cause and defend the security of the national sovereignty and safety of the people in the vanguard of the pioneering struggle, the struggle for achieving transformation, which was challenging year after year.

“I would like to praise you for having done greater things last year than you had done in all the years of the past.

“Last year was a year especially filled with unheard-of dramatic events and distinguished feats that could be performed only by our army. For this, it can be called a year when the Party's and people's trust in and affection for their army grew stronger and greater.

“Our army has proved before the times and history that it is its mettle and original features to quicken more enormous and vigorous strides for loyalty and feats the greater the trust in and expectation for it is.

“As you are all prepared for, this is a year of tremendous transformation, when the fighting front of our army will become more widened and which will demand more strenuous efforts.

“Likewise, the coming five years that will be indicated by the Ninth Congress of the Party will be years when our army's outstanding role that no one else can perform will become further enhanced.

“Our Party is always filled with confidence and feels proud as if it had won the world, as it has put in the vanguard of the struggle to create a new world the revolutionary armed forces, our army, boundlessly faithful to its cause.

“Comrades,

“On the occasion of Army Founding Day, I offer my warm congratulations once again to all the officers and soldiers of the army, and I hope you will make more strenuous efforts.

“Our brave army will further accelerate its advance for the country and the people, and its fighting course will be adorned with brilliant feats and fame.

“Long live the heroic Korean People’s Army!”

The speech, filled with his profound trust and affection as he always places the armed forces of the Republic in the vanguard of the drive for accomplishing the sacred cause of the WPK, deeply moved all the service personnel.

When he finished his speech, the service personnel chanted the slogan of loyalty to him and sang a revolutionary military song in chorus as a token of their militant enthusiasm to dedicate themselves to ensuring the eternal prosperity and security of their socialist country and the happiness of their beloved people by regarding as sustenance for their growth and lifeblood of their destiny the trust and loving care shown by him, who injects vitality into the revolutionary armed forces to be strong, signally glorious and invincible, and by becoming men of faith and moral obligation, who never deviate on the road of following the Party Central Committee, and men of strong ideology, who are fully equipped with its revolutionary ideas.

He had a photo session with the major commanding officers of the Ministry of National Defence and commanders of the large combined units of the KPA.

A ceremonial performance was given by the central military band of the Ministry of National Defence.

The festive mood on Army Founding Day was further lifted by the performers' rhythmic formations ever changing to the tune of the revolutionary military songs, full of the militant spirit reminiscent of a bugle signal to the entire army for an advance toward a new victory, and smart and amazing rifle-handling skills shown by the KPA honour guard members.

Kim Jong Un had a photo taken with the generals and other officers of the headquarters of the Ministry of National Defence in commemoration of Army Founding Day.

All the participants paid the highest glory and respect to the Supreme Commander who has led the service personnel step by step with his warm encouragement so that they can win great victories and perform immortal feats in the forefront of the struggle for achieving the great cause of building a rich country with a strong army.

Kim Jong Un said that the course of eye-opening development and aggressive advance of our country, which has brought about miraculous transformations and remarkable successes during the term of the Eighth Party Central Committee, is associated with the undying feats of the KPA service personnel, the admirable sons and daughters of the country and the people, who have made a breakthrough for victory and effected new upsurges in the revolution with their ennobling devotion and priceless exploits, so as to bring the great transformation to be seen in the future to the present reality.

From the army-founding generation to the present generation, the revolutionary nature of our army voluntarily shouldering the heavy burden for the revolution has never changed, and to be proud of is the militant path it has covered by making a bold advance to achieve greater victories in the face of trials and difficulties, and yet more worthwhile and glorious is the path ahead of it, he said, adding that the work sites of a gigantic struggle, to be indicated by the Ninth Congress of the Party, are calling the service personnel of the KPA, the strongest in the world, invincible and heroic.

He expressed belief that the KPA, which has accepted the decisions of the Party as an absolute truth and supreme military order and always said "Yes" in response, will glorify the current era by performing miraculous feats transcending heroism of all historical ages in the ensuing new struggle and add lustre to the honour of the present generation to be admired by posterity.

All the participants loudly chanted the slogan of "Death-defying defence", out of their firm pledge to add eternal brilliance to the great fame and glory of the KPA, which has adorned the past years with legendary victories and miracles by dint of its unique spirit and soul, always living up to its sacred appellation–army of the Party and army of the people.

Kim Jong Un watched a sports game of commanding officers of the ministry held in celebration of Army Founding Day.

Then he met the retired generals invited to the celebrations.

Saying that recorded in every page of the long army-building history, which has always gone on alongside the leadership history of the Party, is the ennobling devotion made by the retired generals who faithfully upheld the Party and the country with their unbounded self-sacrificing and indomitable spirit during their long service in the revolutionary army, he had a photo taken with them, who dedicated themselves to bolstering up the military muscle.

His congratulatory visit to the Ministry of National Defence was a meaningful occasion that greatly heightened the noble sense of mission of the service personnel and their spirit of exertion to invariably perform the vanguard role of the revolutionary armed forces in the sacred struggle for safeguarding the sovereignty and right to development of the state and the people's destiny and future.