Meeting of KPA personnel at Masik Pass ski park in Kangwo’n Province on 5 June 2013 in support of an economic construction speed campaign proposed by leader Kim Jong Un (Photo: KCNA screengrab)
DPRK state media reported that Korean People’s Army [KPA] officers and service members assembled at the construction site of the Masik Pas Skiing Grounds in Kangwo’n Province on 5 June (Wednesday) in support of the “Masikryong Speed” a development and construction speed campaign initiated by Kim Jong Un (Kim Cho’ng-u’n). Attending the rally were VMar Choe Ryong Hae, Director of the KPA General Political Department, and Col. Gen. Jang Jong Nam, Minister of the People’s Armed forces, along with officials of the Ministry of the People’s Armed Forces and KPA Personnel.
VMar Choe Ryong Hae, Director of the KPA General Political Department, speaks at a meeting in support of the “Masikryong Speed” battle in Kangwo’n Province on 5 June 2013
Senior officials attend and speak at a KPA meeting in support of the “Masikryong Speed” battle for economic construction on 5 June 2013, including Minister of the People’s Armed Forces Jang Jong Nam (middle image) (Photos: KCNA screengrabs)
Choe Ryong Hae, Jang Jong Nam and KPA construction personnel spoke at the meeting. According to KCNA, the meeting speakers said “the appeal serves as inspiring banner instilling redoubled energy and courage into the service personnel. In response to the historic appeal the service personnel will creditably fulfill their responsibility and role they have assumed before the era and history in the on-going sacred struggle to live up to the Supreme Commander’s trust and expectation” and that they “will wind up the construction of the skiing ground in the shortest possible span of time as the first-line unit in creating the “Masikryong Speed” with the same vim and vigor with which they created the Hu’ich’o'n speed. They will fully prove once again before the whole world that the resolution of the Supreme Commander precisely means practice.”
KPA officers and servicemembers attend a 5 June 2013 meeting in Kangwo’n Province in support of the “Masikryong Speed” battle initiated by DPRK leader Kim Jong Un (Photos: KCNA screengrabs).
On 5 June DPRK state media reported that Kim Jong Un issues an “urgent appeal” under the title “Let Us Create the ‘Masikryong Speed’ and Usher in New Heyday on All Fronts for Socialist Construction.” While Kim Jong Un’s appeal focused on completing construction of the Masik Pass Skiing Grounds before the end of 2013, the “Masikryong Speed” is model for economic construction throughout the DPRK, a byproduct of the simultaneous line “pushing forward economic construction and the building of nuclear force” adopted at the March 2013 meeting of the Korean Workers’ Party Central Committee. Speed campaigns and economic battles and publicity campaigns focused on model workers or model complexes. Modeled on the “Ch’o'llima Speed” in post-Korean War construction, the most recent speed campaign was “Hu’ich’o'n Speed” (2009) which referred to the construction of the Hu’ich’o'n Power Station and recent model complex/worker campaigns have been “Chuch’e Steel” (2009-2010) and the “torch of Hamnam (South Hamgyo’ng Province)” (2011-present). According to KCNA Kim Jong Un’s appeal, in part said:
Kim Jong Un said the construction of the Masik Pass Skiing Ground is a gigantic patriotic work initiated by the Workers’ Party of Korea to provide the people with better cultural conditions by translating into reality President Kim Il Sung and leader Kim Jong Il’s noble idea of loving the people.
The soldier-builders have achieved remarkable successes by cutting off natural rocks and steep mountain ranges and building skiing courses covering hundreds of thousands of square meters with more than a hundred thousand meters in a total length in a matter of less than one year since they had a ground-breaking ceremony, he said, and continued:
The construction of the skiing ground is such a huge project that it is hard for others to complete the project even in ten years. But the WPK remains unchanged in its resolution to build a world-class skiing ground within this year and provide the people and school youth and children with a highly civilized and happy living conditions to enable them enjoy all blessings.
He expressed belief that the soldier-builders would wind up the construction of the skiing ground within this year by creating the “Masikryong Speed” by dint of indomitable mental power and persevering charge and that all the service personnel and people across the country would bring about a great leap forward and signal innovations on all fronts for socialist construction in that spirit.
The secret to completing the construction of the Masik Pass Skiing Ground ahead of schedule lies in giving fullest play to the mental power of the service personnel, he noted, adding Kim Jong Il’s patriotism is the core of the mental power to be cherished by the soldier-builders.
He underscored the need to dynamically push ahead with the construction of the skiing ground by dint of great army-people unity, the mainstay of the Songun revolution and groundwork of society.
It is the intention and resolution of the WPK to raise a hot-wind of great innovations and upswing throughout the country by letting all people learn from the indomitable fighting spirit and work style being displayed by the soldiers in the construction of the skiing ground, he stressed.
He also underlined the need for the People’s Army to make thorough-going preparations for combat and bring about uninterrupted innovations in all major construction projects and in the work for sprucing up the provinces, cities and counties.
He called on all the people including workers, farmers and intellectuals to further reenergize all the economic sectors of the country and positively contribute to implementing national economy plan by fully implementing the WPK’s line on simultaneously pushing forward economic construction and the building of nuclear force.
Filed under: 2013 KPA Promotions, 2013 Strategic Rhetoric, Central Committee, Central Military Committee, central party life, Choe Ryong Hae, colonel general, corps command, corps commanders, critical infrastructure, DPRK Cabinet, east sea command, Events Management Section, Gen. Jang Jong Nam, gsd, gsob, Guard Command, Kangwo'n Provincial KWP Committee, Kangwo'n Provincial People's Committee, Kim Family, Kim Jong-il, Kim Jong-un, KJI Personal Secretariat, Korean People's Army (KPA), Korean People's Army Supreme Command, Korean Workers' Party (KWP), KPA construction battalions, KPA construction brigades, KPA East Command Zone, KPA General Logistics Department, KPA General Political Bureau, KPA General Political Department, KPA General Propaganda Department, KPA General Staff, KPA Large Combined Units, KPA supernumerary organizations, KPA Supreme Command, local people's committees, March 2013 KWP Central Committee Meeting (plenary session), military economy, Ministry of Construction and Building Materials Industry, Ministry of State Construction Control, Ministry of the People's Armed Forces (MPAF), MPAF GPB, National Defense Commission (NDC), NDC Administration Department, North Korean press, Organization and Guidance Department, party life, Political Bureau, Propaganda and Agitation Department, Provincial Party Committees, reserve training units, Secretariat, social control, State Planning Commission (SPC), transportation, wo'nsan corps, Working Organizations
