Kim Jong Un speaks during the first day of the first conference of primary party committee chairpersons on December 23, 2016 at Pyongyang Indoor Stadium in Pyongyang (Photo: KCNA-Rodong Sinmun).
KJU’s last observed appearance was his observation and guidance of a KPA flight drill
The first two days of the first ever conference of Workers’ Party of Korea [WPK] Primary Committee Chairpersons was held at Pyongyang Indoor Stadium on December 23 (Friday) and December 24 (Saturday). Kim Jong Un (Kim Cho’ng-u’n) attended and chaired both sessions of the conference.
Kim Jong Un speaking and views of the venue of the opening day of the conference of primary party committee chairs (Photos: KCNA-Rodong Sinmun)
Senior officials attending the conference from the platform included: Korean People’s Army [KPA] General Political Department Director and State Affairs Commission [SAC] Vice Chairman VMar Hwang Pyong So [Hwang Pyo’ng-so], WPK Vice Chairman and SAC Vice Chairman Choe Ryong Hae [Ch’oe Ryong-hae], WPK Vice Chairman for Propaganda and Agitation Kim Ki Nam [Kim Ki-nam], WPK Vice Chairman for Science and Education and Supreme People’s Assembly [SPA] Speaker (Chairman) Choe Thae Bok [Ch’oe T’ae-pok], WPK Vice Chairman for International Affairs Ri Su Yong [Ri Su-yo’ng], WPK Vice Chairman for Cadres’ Affairs Kim Phyong Hae [Kim P’yo’ng-hae], WPK Vice Chairman for Munitions Industry Ri Man Gon [Ri Man-ko’n], WPK Vice Chairman for Economic Affairs O Su Yong [O Su-yo’ng], WPK Vice Chairman for Planning and Finance Kwak Pom Gi [Kwak Pom-ki], WPK Vice Chairman for Intelligence and South Korean Affairs Kim Yong Chol [Kim Yo’ng-ch’o’l], Pyongyang City WPK Committee Chairman Kim Su Gil [Kim Su-kil], North P’yo’ngan WPK Provincial Committee Chairman Kim Nung O [Kim Nu’ng-o], South P’yo’ngan WPK Provincial Committee Chairman Pak Thae Song [Pak T’ae-so’ng] and WPK Organization Guidance Department Senior Deputy Director Jo Yon Jun [Cho Yo’n-chun]. Also in attendance were senior party officials based in Pyongyang and participating in the conference are the chairmen and chairwomen of the numerous primary party committees, branch party committees and sub-primary party committees. The last national convocation of the heads of what are called basic party organizations was the 4th meeting of Party Cell Secretaries which gathered during late January 2013.
Photo: NK Leadership Watch graphic
The conference, according to KCNA, shall “analyze and review the successes and experience, defects and lessons witnessed in the past drive of the primary party committees for turning themselves into the invincible integral ones in which the oneness of ideology and leadership is strictly ensured and which form a harmonious whole with the popular masses, and for carrying out the Party’s line and policies.” The conference will also “discuss the tasks and ways to improve their work as required by the new era of the Chuch’e revolution.”
(Graphic: NK Leadership Watch).
Jong Un delivered an opening speech in which he paid “the highest tribute and extended eternal glory to President Kim Il Sung (Kim Il-so’ng) and leader Kim Jong Il (Kim Cho’ng-il), the founder and builder of the glorious WPK and the symbol of the dignified DPRK, representing the boundless reverence of the participants in the conference, all other party members, service personnel and people of the country.” He said that the “Conference of Chairpersons of the Primary Committees of the WPK is held for the first time in its history amid the grandiose struggle to carry out the decision of its 7th Congress.” Jong Un offered his ” warm gratitude and militant salute to the participants of the conference and all other chairpersons of the primary committees of the Party who are reliably defending the main combat positions for implementing the Party policies, regarding absolute loyalty to the Party and the boundless devotion to the people as their life and keeping pace with the Party Central Committee despite any difficulties and trials.” After summarizing international politics, with a focus on Northeast Asia, he said that the “prevailing international situation more clearly proves how just and correct the WPK’s idea and line of simultaneously developing the two fronts were.”
View of the platform during the opening days of the first conference of primary party committee chairs (Photo: KCNA-Rodong Sinmun).
Kim Jong Un noted that “that scared by the remarkably increasing strategic position of the DPRK, the imperialist reactionary forces are making desperate efforts, cooking up the UN ‘sanctions resolution’ and even crying out for ‘independent sanctions’,” and it was stressed that “this is the most vivid proof of the victory of the DPRK. He said with pride that great progress was made in the development of the revolution under the correct leadership of the Party this year.” Jong Un pointed out that “thanks to ardent patriotism and loyalty and devoted struggle of all officials and working people, unprecedented production successes were made in the fields of industry, agriculture, pomiculture and fishery, the first-stage project for recovering from the flood damage in the northern part of North Hamgyo’ng Province was successfully completed and the construction of Ryomyong Street made rapid progress during the 200- day campaign and is nearing completion.” He also said that the DPRK had “bolstered up its nuclear force both in quality and quantity by succeeding in developing Korean-style latest strategic weapons in the field of national defense science and achieved a lot of successes in the fields of science, education, public health and sports, adding that all of them were possible because all chairpersons of the primary committees of the WPK powerfully aroused all their members and other working people to the struggle for devotedly upholding the Party’s line and policies and implementing them to the letter.”
Jong Un extended his “warm congratulations to the chairpersons of the primary party committees participating in the conference with pride and honor of having successfully concluded the 200-day campaign, true to the call of the Party Central Committee, and all the party members and other people..” He indicated the “Party’s intention of regarding the Conference of Chairpersons of the Primary Committees of the WPK as important an event as the Party Congress” and he emphasized that “to raise the role of the primary committees is an important guarantee for strengthening the Party and victoriously advancing the revolution and construction.” Jong Un attached “weighty importance to the role of the chairpersons of the primary committees of the WPK, in particular” because “whether the Party’s line and policies are correctly implemented or not depends on the politico-ideological preparation, organizational ability, revolutionary spirit and strong capabilities of the chairpersons of the primary committees.”
He remarked that the “the source of the strength of our Party and its invincible might lie in the close bonds of kinship with the broad popular masses and their full support and deep trust” and he “stressed the need for the conference to critically make a deep-going analysis and review of not only achievements and experience gained in the work of the primary party organizations in the past but also their shortcomings and their chairpersons’ role and work-style and make an exhaustive discussion on the issue of enhancing the function and role of the primary party organizations in every way in the drive for developing it and implementing its policies.”
Jong Un noted that “the main purpose of the conference is to help all the participants reflect upon themselves with party conscience and make efforts to boldly rectify their shortcomings so that the conference may offer an opportunity of effecting such a great turn as bringing about a radical change in the work of the primary committees of the WPK” and he declared the “conference open, expressing belief that it would be successfully held thanks to high political enthusiasm and active participation of all its attendants and thus mark a historic milestone in strengthening the WPK and accomplishing the revolutionary cause of Chuch’e.”
WPK Vice Chairman, Director of the WPK Propaganda and Agitation Department and WPK Political Bureau Member Kim Ki-nam delivers a report on the opening day of the conference on December 23, 2016 (Photo: KCNA-Rodong Sinmun).
Kim Ki Nam delivered a report which noted that the ” the history of the WPK is shining with the undying exploits of President Kim Il Sung (Kim Il-so’ng) and leader Kim Jong Il (Kim Cho’ng-il) who advanced and perfectly applied the Chuch’e-based idea of building basic party organizations.” Kim also said that:
The great leaders’ idea of prioritizing the primary party committees and guidance over them has been successfully carried forward and developed by supreme leader Kim Jong Un (Kim Cho’ng-u’n).
The history of the ever-victorious WPK is a sacred history in which the validity and vitality of the Chuch’e-based party-building idea of attaching importance to the basic party organizations have been clearly proven. It also constitutes proud annals in which the primary party committees have remained true to the idea and cause of the WPK by performing feats through a heroic struggle.
In particular, the past five years, during which the era of a new historic turn was opened in accomplishing the revolutionary cause of Chuch’e, were the days of victory and glory when the role of the primary party committees had been enhanced remarkably and the indomitable spirit and might of the WPK strikingly demonstrated.
The most important success made in the work of the primary party committees is that they have been imbued with the idea of the leader and turned into strong militant ranks that move as one under his guidance.
The primary party committees have enthusiastically mobilized the party members and other working people to the drive for carrying out the revolutionary cause of Juche and the cause of building a socialist power.
All the primary committees of the WPK have been firmly consolidated as the ones strong in faith that remain loyal to the idea and will of the leader only, vanguard ranks of loyalty that make a breakthrough in the van of the drive for upholding the Party policies while linking the leader and the masses with blood ties. The Party takes special pride in this as it is a great victory achieved in accomplishing the cause of building the Juche-based party.
Stressing the need to steadily strengthen the WPK into an indomitable and militant party and further enhance its leadership role in order to speed up the building of a socialist power and successfully accomplish the revolutionary cause of Juche by implementing the decision made at the 7th WPK Congress.
What is most important to this end is to strengthen the primary committees, the principal militant units of the Party, in every way and herein lies the reason why the First Conference of Chairpersons of the Primary Committees was convened by the WPK.
At present the WPK requires every primary party organization to meticulously guide the organizational and ideological life of its members and vigorously conduct the drive for implementing the behests of the leaders and upholding the Party’s policies so as to accelerate the modeling of the whole Party and society on Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism and make a breakthrough in the all-out offensive for the final victory in the revolutionary cause of Chuch’e.
Let us go all out to carry through the decision of the 7th WPK Congress and hasten the final victory in the development of the great Kimilsungist-Kimjongilist party and the revolutionary cause of Chuch’e, the cause of building a socialist power, rallied closer around Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Workers’ Party of Korea.
Opening day conference speakers mentioned the “achievements and experience gained in the work of primary committees and “referred to the defects found in the work of some primary committees” and expressed “their resolve to bring about a great turn in the work of primary party organizations as demanded by the period of a new leap forward in carrying out the revolutionary cause of Chuch’e and thus turn all the basic party organizations into the first death-defying corps in the drive to implement the idea of the Party and uphold its policies.”
During the second day of the conference various primary party committee chairs spoke on the “precious successes, experience and lessons drawn in the party work of their units.” Conference speakers “analyzed and reviewed the successes and experience gained in consolidating the primary party committees, the basic organizations of the Party, as strong militant ranks equipped with the firm faith and indomitable offensive-oriented spirit of devotedly defending the leader and implementing the Party’s policies to the letter and the revolutionary outposts adjoining the yard of the Party Central Committee” and said that the “the primary party organizations aroused the masses to the heroic struggle to create the new Korean speed, the Mallima speed, regarding the implementation of the last instructions of President Kim Il Sung (Kim Il-so’ng) and leader Kim Jong Il (Kim Cho’ng-il) as the key point of the party work and enhancing the vanguard role of the party members in the building of a powerful socialist country.”
The conference speakers “pointed out that they have firmly consolidated the primary party organizations of their units as loyal militant ranks armed with the spirit of devotedly defending the leader and implementing the Party’s policies to the letter with transparent revolutionary outlook on the leader” and they “recalled that they have led the producer masses through practical examples, providing on-site guidance and dynamically conducting on-site political work as frontline-style one the way the commanding officers of the People’s Army do and thus performed new miracles and feats in the general offensive.”
Participants in the First Conference of Chairpersons of the Primary Committees of the Workers’ Party of Korea arrive at the Pyongyang Indoor Stadium in central Pyongyang on December 23, 2016 (Photos: KCNA-Rodong Sinmun).
According to state media reporting conference participants “once again deeply grasped the real meaning of the instructions of Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il and Kim Jong Un that the examples set by officials are more powerful political work than hundreds of words and that it is necessary to convert the Party work into the on-site political work and work to motivate people.” During the conference’s proceedings “an in-depth analysis was made of deviations and shortcomings manifested at some units at present where the work of primary party committees failed to reflect the Party’s intention and meet the requirements of the developing revolution, and strong criticism was made of them.” Critiques were “also made of officials for their shortcomings reflected in perfunctorily implementing the Party’s decision, not giving priority to the work for firmly arming themselves with the Party’s line and policies” and for “failing to conduct the drive for implementing the Party’s line and policies in a do-or-die spirit and of failing to meticulously organize the party life among officials and other party members and guide it to suit the characteristic features of relevant units.”
The conference discussed “ways to draw lessons from the shortcomings and thoroughly rectify them” and measures were taken “to firmly build up the primary committees of the whole party into the militant units with strong organizational and executive capabilities and bring about a revolutionary turn in the ideological viewpoint and work traits and style of the chairpersons of the primary party committees.” Conference speakers “evinced their resolutions to firmly consolidate the primary party organizations as outposts for devotedly defending the leader and carrying out the Party’s policies to the letter by creditably fulfilling their responsibility and role as direct organizers, information officials and implementers in executing the Party’s policies.”
Filed under: 2016 Strategic Rhetoric, 70 Day Speed Battle (2016), 7th Party Congress, Agitation Section, basic party organizations, Cadre Affairs, Central Committee, Central Military Committee, central party life, Choe Ryong Hae, Choe Tae Bok, Comprehensive Affairs, county/city party organizations, critical infrastructure, delegate selection, DPRK Cabinet, DPRK External Relations, Economic Complexes, Education Section (PAD), Events Management Section, Executive Policy Bureau, Financial Planning Department, General Affairs, Guard Command, Hwang Pyong So, Hwang Pyong So (GPD; KPA VMAR), ideological slogans, Ideological Works, Information Section, International Affairs Department WPK, International Department, Jo Yon Jun (OGD), Jon Sung Hun (DPRK Vice Premier), Jon Sung Hun (DPRK Vice Premier/N. Hamgyo'ng WPK), Kim Chong-un inspections, Kim Chun Sop (Jagang WPK PC), Kim Family, Kim Jong Un Visits, Kim Jong-il, Kim Jong-un, Kim Ki Nam, Kim Ki-nam, Kim Kyong Ok (OGD), Kim Nung O (NPyongan WPK), Kim Phyong Hae (Cadres/NPYPPC), Kim Sol Song (Kim Sul Song), Kim Yo Jong, KJI Personal Secretariat, KJI/KJU Ideological Works, Korean People's Army (KPA), Korean People's Army Supreme Command, Korean People's Internal Security Forces, Korean Workers' Party (KWP), KPA basic party organizations, KPA branch party organizations, KPA General Political Bureau, KPA General Political Department, KPA General Propaganda Department, KPA Organization Department, KPA Party Life, KPA Supreme Command, kpif, Kwak Pom Gi, Lecture Guidance, Local Party Affairs, local people's committees, Lt. Gen. Kim Su Gil, Machine Building Industry Department, Membership Registration, military security command [msc], ministry of people's security, Ministry of State Security, Ministry of the People's Armed Forces (MPAF), MPAF GPB, North Hamgyo'ng Province, North Korean press, North Pyongan KWP Provincial Committee, Notification, nuclear weapons, O Su Yong, Organization and Guidance Department, PAD Guidance Section, Pak Thae Song (KWP CC Dept), party cells, Party elders, Party History Institute, party life, Party Life Guidance, Political Bureau, primary party committees, Propaganda and Agitation Department, Provincial Party Committees, Provincial Party System, Public Events, Publications, Pyongyang Defense Command, Pyongyang WPK Committee, Ri Chol, Ri Man Gon (N. P'yo'ngan WPK PC), Ri Su Yong, South P'yo'ngan KWP Provincial Committee, State Affairs Commission, State Security Department, theoretical works, Workers' and Social Organizations
