Kim Jong Un poses for a commemorative photograph with commanders, staff officers and service members of the headquarters element of KPA Large Combined Unit #380 in a photo which appeared on the cover of the November 25, 2016 edition of the WPK daily organ Rodong Sinmun (Photo: Rodong Sinmun).
KJU’s last observed appearance was his attendance at a photo-op with Women’s Union 6th Congress participants
DPRK state media reported on November 25 (Friday) that Kim Jong Un (Kim Cho’ng-u’n) inspected the headquarters element of Korean People’s Army [KPA] Large Combined Unit (taeyonhap pudae) #380. Also in attendance were KPA General Political Department Director and State Affairs Commission [SAC] Vice Chairman VMar Hwang Pyong So [Hwang Pyo’ng-so], Workers’ Party of Korea [WPK] Vice Chairman and SAC Vice Chairman Choe Ryong Hae [Ch’oe Ryong-hae] and KPA General Staff Operations Bureau Director and 1st Vice Chief of the KPA General Staff Colonel-General Ri Yong Gil [Ri Yo’ng-kil].
His inspection began with him looking around a monument to prior field inspections by his father, late DPRK leader Kim Jong Il [Kim Cho’ng-il] as well as exhibition rooms on the large combined unit’s revolutionary and institutional history. He remarked that the “large combined unit grew to be a powerful elite unit fully prepared for both offensive and defense in modern warfare under the wise leadership and meticulous care of President Kim Il Sung (Kim Il-so’ng) and Kim Jong Il (Kim Cho’ng-il).” Jong Un “highly appreciate the feats performed by the service personnel of the unit” and said that the “unit has performed praiseworthy feats in the defense of the country and socialist construction in the past period and made positive contributions to giving the fullest play to the fighting spirit and militant traits of the KPA after being rapidly dispatched to the front for recovering from the flood damage in the northern part of the country, in particular.”
Jong Un praised the “unit for effectively conducting the education of its service personnel through the room for education in the revolutionary history and the room devoted to the history of the unit after successfully arranging them.” He underscored the “need to intensify the education for helping them deeply grasp the undying feats of Kim Il Sung (Kim Il-so’ng) and Kim Jong Il (Kim Cho’ng-il) and the glorious history and tradition of the unit.” Whilst touring the soldiers’ hall, Jong Un instructed the “commanding officers of the unit to direct sustained big efforts to intensifying the five-point education set forth by the Party to successfully train the service personnel as indomitable fighters who do not abandon their revolutionary faith though they may die on the road of defending the socialist country.”
The large combined unit’s commander briefed Kim Jong Un about its defense operations plan and he studied “the documents on combat.” He toured lecture rooms and and learned in “detail about the performance of duties by the units under the large combined unit and their training and regular combat preparedness.” Jong Un praised the large combined unit’s command element and staff officers for “rounding off operational and tactical plans, peculiar and superb, to carry out all operations and combats in our own way” and he was “satisfied to learn that they are firmly preparing the soldiers to be a-match-for-a-hundred fighters who are well versed in various combat methods and making full preparations for drills with high enthusiasm to bring about collective innovations in the next year’s combat and political training, in particular.”
Jong Un noted that the “large combined unit has a very important duty to perform” and issued “important tasks which would serve as guidelines for increasing the unit’s combat readiness and fighting capability in every way.” He said that he “felt confident of the area defended by the unit.” Prior to posing for commemorative photos, he “expressed expectation and belief that the service personnel of the unit would firmly protect the socialist country with arms.”
Filed under: 2016 KPA Winter Training Cycle, 2016 Rainy Season, capital construction, Central Committee, Central Military Committee, Choe Ryong Hae, colonel general, corps command, corps commanders, Education Section (PAD), Events Management Section, Flood Damage 2016, Gen. Ri Yong Gil, gsd, gsob, Guard Command, Hwang Pyong So, Hwang Pyong So (GPD; KPA VMAR), ideological slogans, Kim Chong-un inspections, Kim Family, Kim Jong-il, Kim Jong-un, KJI Personal Secretariat, Korean People's Army (KPA), Korean People's Army Supreme Command, Korean People's Internal Security Forces, Korean Workers' Party (KWP), KPA branch party organizations, KPA construction battalions, KPA construction brigades, KPA General Political Bureau, KPA General Political Department, KPA General Propaganda Department, KPA General Staff, KPA Large Combined Units, KPA Organization Department, KPA Party Life, KPA Supreme Command, kpif, Military Affairs, 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, Organization and Guidance Department, Party History Institute, party life, Political Bureau, social control, State Affairs Commission, State Security Department