Kim Jong-un's 10 Years as 'Supreme Commander'... North Korea Says "Strengthening the People's Army Must Be the Top Priority"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] On the 30th, marking the 10th anniversary of Kim Jong-un's appointment as the Supreme Commander of the Workers' Party, North Korea expressed its determination to strengthen its national defense and prioritize the reinforcement of the Korean People's Army.

The Workers' Party organ, Rodong Sinmun, in an editorial titled 'Our Revolutionary Armed Forces Advancing Under the Leadership of Beloved Comrade Kim Jong-un Will Always Be Victorious in Every Battle,' reported, "We must put the utmost effort into strengthening the People's Army, which is the steadfast support point of our Party and the pillar of national defense."

The newspaper emphasized the ideological revolution of the military, stating that the People's Army must become "strong in ideology and faith, absolutely trusting and following only the beloved Supreme Commander, and be people of conscience and loyalty who cherish the bond with the Supreme Commander like lifeblood" within the furnace of the five essential educations.

It added, "We must continue to accelerate the actualization, scientification, and modernization of training, and strengthen all military branches and corps into the world's strongest military branches and corps."

Not only the military but also the arming of the entire population was encouraged. The newspaper reported, "We must further solidify self-defensive national defense power to the strongest level and realize nationwide armament and fortress-building at a high level," adding, "With the united power of the military and the people, we must vigorously open a new development phase of socialist construction."

The newspaper cited Kim Jong-un's "immortal achievements" over the past 10 years in establishing "a powerful war deterrent and the strongest sword for peacekeeping," and evaluated, "The National Defense Development Exhibition 'Self-Defense-2021' was a grand festival demonstrating the power of Juche-based defense industry and the military-technical superiority of our revolutionary armed forces."

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