North Korea Marks Sun Gun Day... Strengthens Internal Unity

[Image source=Yonhap News] North Korean Workers' Party Chairman Kim Jong-un observed a simulated exercise by North Korean special forces aimed at occupying Baengnyeongdo and Daeyeonpyeongdo Islands in celebration of the Military-First Day, the Rodong Sinmun reported on the 26th.

[Asia Economy Military Specialist Yang Nak-gyu, Reporter Kim Dong-pyo] Marking the 60th anniversary of the Military-First Day (Seongunjeol), North Korea has emphasized the army's absolute loyalty to the leader and the Workers' Party. This somewhat contrasts with last year's Military-First Day, when they showcased super-large multiple rocket launchers and emphasized self-reliance, boosting the military's morale.

North Korea's Workers' Party organ, Rodong Sinmun, published an editorial on the 25th titled "The Revolutionary Party-Army Construction Achievements of the Great Leader Comrade Kim Jong-il Are an Everlasting Treasure Guaranteeing the Victorious Advancement of the Juche Revolution" on its front page, claiming that "building the revolutionary armed forces as the leader's army and the Party's army is a very important theoretical and practical issue in carrying out the socialist cause." The editorial pointed out that some socialist countries in the past failed to properly build their revolutionary armed forces as the Party's army, leading to ideological disintegration of the military and ultimately the failure of their revolutions.

In particular, it stated, "The firm succession of leadership in our revolution is because the armed forces holding the gun follow only the Baekdu bloodline," and "endless loyalty to the leadership of the Party and the leader is an essential requirement of the revolutionary army founded by the leader."

The ideological and spiritual armament orders aimed at the military are evaluated to be linked with Chairman Kim's strengthening of military control. The National Intelligence Service mentioned in a closed briefing to the National Assembly Intelligence Committee on the 20th that North Korea established a "Military Political Leadership" within the Workers' Party at the end of last year, explaining it as "a measure to strengthen Party control over the military."

Chairman Kim focused on weakening the powerful military by abolishing the National Defense Commission, which had been the highest ruling body under the Kim Jong-il regime, and establishing the State Affairs Commission. This appears to be an effort to confine the military under the Party's leadership and control to prevent the military from having independent influence and shaking state affairs. The dominant analysis is that this reflects Chairman Kim's will to create a socialist normal state centered on the Party, just as his grandfather, President Kim Il-sung, did.

However, inside and outside the military, it is expected that North Korea will not carry out military provocations for internal consolidation. Analysts believe North Korea will focus on addressing urgent tasks such as responding to the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and flood recovery rather than launching military provocations. Especially, the reduction of U.S. reinforcements deployed from the U.S. mainland and Japan and the omission of night training in the second half of this year's South Korea-U.S. joint exercises are expected to reduce North Korea's grounds for backlash.

Meanwhile, North Korea commemorates the Military-First Day as a public holiday, claiming that August 25, 1960, when Kim Jong-il inspected the Guards Seoul Ryu Kyung-su 105th Tank Division?the first unit to enter Seoul during the Korean War?was the first step of "Military-First Leadership."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.