Late DPRK president and founder Kim Il Sung and late DPRK leader Kim Jong Il watch military exercises in 1989. Also in attendance were Yon Hyong Muk and O Jin U (Photo: Rodong Sinmun).
The official anniversary of the Korean People’s Army [KPA] was marked on April 25 (originally it was February 8).
View of participants at a central report meeting marking the official observed anniversary of the Korean People’s Army on April 24, 2016 at the People’s Palace of Culture in central Pyongyang (Photo: Rodong Sinmun).
On April 24 (Sunday) a central report meeting marking the KPA’s anniversary was held at the People’s Palace of Culture in central Pyongyang. Among those attending the event from the platform were Kim Yong Nam (President of the Supreme People’s Assembly [SPA] Presidium), Vice Marshal Hwang Pyong So (Director of the Korean People’s Army [KPA] General Political Department), Pak Pong Ju (DPRK Premier), Choe Ryong Hae (Workers’ Party of Korea [WPK] Secretary for Workers’ and Social Organizations), Vice Marshal Ri Myong Su (Chief of the KPA General Staff), General Pak Yong Sik (Minister of the People’s Armed Forces), Choe T’ae Bok (WPK Secretary for Science and Education and SPA Chairman), General Kim Won Hong (Minister of State Security), Yang Hyong Sop (SPA Presidium Vice President), Vice Marshal Ri Yong Mu (National Defense Commission Vice Chairman), General O Kuk Ryol (National Defense Commission Vice Chairman), Kwak Pom Gi (WPK Secretary for and Director of Planning and Finance), Kim Yong Chol (WPK Secretary for and Director of the United Front Department), General Choe Pu Il (Minister of People’s Security), Kim P’yo’ng-hae (WPK Secretary for and Director of Cadres’ Affairs), O Su Yong (WPK Secretary for Light Industry), Jo Yon Jun (Senior Deputy Director of the WPK Organization Guidance Department), Colonel-General So Hong Chan (Vice Chief of the KPA General Staff), Lieutenant-General Ryom Chol Song (head of the KPA General Propaganda Department and deputy director of the KPA General Political Department), General Yun Jong Rin (Director of the Guard Command), Colonel-General Yun Tong Hyon (Vice Minister of the People’s Armed Forces), Kim Jong Sun (Chairwoman of the Korean Democratic Women’s Union Central Committee), Jon Yong Nam (Chairman of the Kim Il Sung Youth League Central Committee) and Kim Su Gil (Chief Secretary of the Pyongyang WPK Committee). Also in attendance in the audience were Jo Chun Yong (Chairman of the Second Economic Committee [Second Economy Commission]), Jang Chol (President of the State Academy of Science), Ri Ryong Nam (Minister of External Economic Relations [Foreign Trade]), senior cadres and functionaries of the WPK, KPA, DPRK Government and Korean People’s Internal Security Forces [KPISF], foreign diplomats stationed in the DPRK and various DPRK citizens.
Chief of the KPA General Staff, Vice Marshal Ri Myong Su, delivers a report at a central report meeting marking the official anniversary of the KPA (Photo: Rodong Sinmun).
Choe T’ae Bok presided over the meeting. Chief of the KPA General Staff Vice Marshal Ri Myong Su delivered the report in which he said:
The Korean People’s Revolutionary Army (KPRA), the first revolutionary armed forces of Juche type, was founded on April 25, Chuch’e 21 (1932). Therefore, the Korean people could have the genuine revolutionary army led by the outstanding leader for the first time in history and this marked the starting point of the glorious history of the Korean revolution which was pioneered and has advanced victoriously by dint of the arms.
President Kim Il Sung (Kim Il-so’ng) brought up the KPRA to be a powerful driving force of the anti-Japanese national-liberation struggle and core force of the So’ngun (military-first) revolution in the flames of the anti-Japanese revolution and defeated the brigandish Japanese imperialists who made desperate efforts styling themselves the “leader” of Asia and thus accomplished the historical cause of the country’s liberation.
Despite the complicated situation of building a new country after the liberation, he successfully realized the cause of building the regular armed forces in a short span of time and led to victory the great Fatherland Liberation War while holding fast to the arms of So’ngun (military-first) in order to shatter the myth of “mightiness” of the US imperialists who boasted of a war history of aggression that lasted more than a century and thus created the myth of war victory in the 20th century.
He consistently adhered to the idea of attaching importance to the arms and the principle of giving priority to the military affairs during the whole period of the revolutionary leadership, developed the KPA into the army of the party that thoroughly established the party’s monolithic ideological system and into the powerful revolutionary armed forces all members of which were trained to be cadres and which were put on a modern basis, and turned the DPRK into an impregnable fortress and bulwark of independence by successfully putting all the people under arms and turning the whole country into a fortress.
The cause of army-building of Chuch’e started on Mt. Paektu was developed in depth onto a new stage thanks to the outstanding So’ngun (military-first) revolutionary guidance of leader Kim Jong Il (Kim Cho’ng-il).
Thanks to his outstanding and tested leadership, the KPA has grown stronger in terms of thought and faith guided by the Chuch’e idea and So’ngun (military-first) idea and the powerful revolutionary Paektusan (Mt. Paektu) army firmly armed with Korean-style strategy and tactics and war methods and equipped with modern offensive and defensive means.
The KPA has greeted the golden age of bolstering up the revolutionary armed forces as they are led by Marshal Kim Jong Un (Kim Cho’ng-u’n).
Once the weak colonial nation oppressed by the aggressors with its sovereignty deprived by the aggressors due to the weak arms has developed into the world-level military power and the nuclear power of Chuch’e that no one dares provoke, striking terror into the imperialist reactionaries.
The US imperialists introduced strategic weapons into south Korea in a bid to stage frantic joint military drills against the DPRK and brought the clouds of a nuclear war to hang over Korea, escalating the situation to an extreme phase.
If the US imperialists and the south Korean puppet warmongers persistently stage nuclear provocation aimed to hurt the supreme leadership of the revolution despite the repeated warnings of the DPRK, the powerful revolutionary Paektusan (Mt. Paektu) army will launch a preemptive strike of severest punishment in the sky, land, seas and underwater without any restriction and without any warning and prior notice.
The enemies have to clearly understand that the strike of the Korean People’s Army which regards it as the greatest mission to devotedly safeguard the leader knows no mercy and this will be continued nonstop until the historic cause of national reunification is accomplished and the root cause of aggression and evil is totally eliminated.
A floral wreath from Kim Jong Un and the presentation of floral wreaths by DPRK officials at the Soul of Heroes memorial at the Fatherland Liberation Cemetery in Pyongyang on April 25, 2016 (Photos: Rodong Sinmun/KCNA).
DPRK Premier Pak Pong Ju and officials of the country’s central leadership deliver floral wreaths to the Patriotic Martyrs Cemetery in Pyongyang on April 25, 2016 (Photo: KCNA).
Senior Deputy Director of the WPK Organization Guidance Department Jo Yon Jun and SPA Presidium President Kim Yong Nam place flowers in front of the memorial bust of Kim Jong Suk, mother of late DPRK leader Kim Jong Il and Kim Kyong Hui and grandmother of Kim Jong Un, at the Revolutionary Martyrs’ Cemetery in Pyongyang on April 25, 2016 (Photo: KCTV).
On April 25 (Monday) wreath laying ceremonies were held at various military cemeteries around the DPRK. In Pyongyang, wreaths were delivered by senior DPRK official to the Revolutionary Martyrs’ Cemetery on Mt. Taeso’ng, the Patriotic Martyrs’ Cemetery in Sinmi-ri, Hyo’ngjesan District (kuyo’k) and the Fatherland Liberation War (Korean War) Martyrs Cemetery. Attending the wreath laying ceremonies were Kim Yong Nam (President of the Supreme People’s Assembly [SPA] Presidium), Pak Pong Ju (DPRK Premier), Kim Yong Chol (WPK Secretary of the United Front and the DPRK’s chief of national intelligence), O Su Yong (WPK Secretary for Light Industry), General Choe Pu Il (Minister of People’s Security), Jon Yon Jun (Senior Deputy Director of the WPK Organization Guidance Department), Kim Yong Dae (Chairman of the Korea Social Democratic Party Central Committee), Choe Sang Gon (director of the WPK Science Education Department), Jon Il Chun (deputy director of the WPK Finance and Accounting Department) and other senior officials and functionaries of the WPK, KPA, DPRK Government, the Korean People’s Internal Security Forces [KPSIF] and Pyongyangites.
Floral wreaths Kim Jong Un (Kim Cho’ng-u’n) were delivered to the cemeteries in Pyongyang, as well as at the foot of the statues of Kim Il Sung (Kim Il-so’ng) and Kim Jong Il (Kim Cho’ng-il) on Manu Hill in central Pyongyang. Senior DPRK officials and other visitors also brought floral bouquets and observed a moment of silence at the memorial bust of Kim Jong Suk (Kim Il Sung’s first wife and Kim Jong Il’s mother) at the Revolutionary Martyrs Cemetery.
A floral wreath from Kim Jong Un in front of the Patriotic Martyrs’ Cemetery in Pyongyang (Photo: KCNA).
Floral wreaths from the WPK Central Committee, the SPA Presidium and DPRK Cabinet were placed on the stand at the Revolutionary Martyrs’ Cemetery. A floral wreath sent jointly by the WPK Central Committee, SPA Presidium and DPRK Cabinet was placed on the stand at the Patriotic Martyrs Cemetery. A floral wreath sent jointly by the WPK Central Committee, the WPK Central Military Commission and the National Defense Commission [NDC] was placed on the “South of Heroes” stand at Fatherland Liberation War Martyrs’ Cemetery. Floral wreaths from the Ministry of the People’s Armed Forces, Ministry of People’s Security, workers’ and social organizations, Cabinet ministries and commissions, KPA and KPISF units, research institute, media outlets, party and power organizations and Pyongyang-based factories and farms were delivered to the cemeteries.
Kim Jong Il on a KPA field inspection in 1999. Also in attendance were Ri Yong Chol, General Pak Jae Gyong, Marshal Hyon Chol Hae and Kim Kyong Ok. Kim Kyong Ok is the only one of these officials who remains in power as a senior deputy director of the WPK Organization Guidance Department and member of the WPK Central Military Commission (Photo: Rodong Sinmun).
Dance parties of DPRK students took place around the country on April 24 and April 25 to mark the official anniversary of the KPA. Here DPRK students dance in front of the Party Founding Monument in east Pyongyang (Photo: Rodong Sinmun).
The National Circus hosted a magic show to mark the official anniversary of the KPA on April 25, 2016 (Photo: KCNA).
A museum guide speaks about a firearms exhibition at the P’yo’nch’o’n Revolutionary Site in central Pyongyang (Photo: Rodong Sinmun).
Singers of the KPA Song and Dance Ensemble perform at a concert at the Ponghwa Art Theater in Pyongyang on April 25, 2016 as part of celebrations of the KPA’s official anniversary (Photo: KCNA).
The KPA Song and Dance Ensemble performed at the Ponghwa Art Theater on April 25 (Monday). Attending the performance were Kim Yong Nam (SPA Presidium President), Pak Pong Ju (DPRK Premier), General Pak Yong Sik (Minister of the People’s Armed Forces), Choe Ryong Hae (WPK Secretary for Workers’ and Social Organizations), Vice Marshal Ri Yong Mu (Vice Chairman of the National Defense Commission), General O Kuk Ryol (Vice Chairman of the National Defense commission), Kim Yong Chol (WPK Secretary for the United Front Department), O Su Yong (WPK Secretary for Light Industry), Jo Yon Jun (Senior Deputy Director of the WPK Organization Guidance Department), Kim Jong Im (director of the Party History Institute), Pak Myong Sun (deputy director of the WPK Light Industry Department), Pak To Chun (senior deputy director of the WPK Military [machine-building] Industries Department), Lieutenant-General Ryom Chol Song (head of the KPA General Propaganda Department and deputy director of the KPA General Political Department), various senior officials and functionaries of the WPK, KPA, DPRK Government and KPISF, leading cadres and merited workers from national institutions and factories, as well as foreign diplomats and defense attaches stationed in the DPRK.
A performance of the KPA Song and Dance Ensemble was held at Ponghwa Art Theater on April 25, 2016 to mark the KPA’s official anniversary (Photo: Rodong Sinmun).
The performance included songs and instrumentals “Glory to General Kim Jong Un,” “Song of the Big Fish Haul,” “Under the Banner of the Party,” “We’ll Travel One Road Forever,” “Meaningful Soldiers’ Day,” “Kitchen Car Runs.” According to KCNA, the Ensemble “impressively represented the steadfast revolutionary faith and will of the army and people of the DPRK who have taken the road of revolution without any vacillation while devotedly defending the cause of Chuch’e, the cause of the party under the leadership of the So’ngun (military-first) brilliant commanders of Mt. Paektu.”
Filed under: 2007-2010 kpa management, 7th Party Congress, Cadre Affairs, Central Committee, Central Military Committee, Central Party Affairs/Cadres 5th Section, central party life, Choe Ryong Hae, Choe Sang Gon (SSTC), Choe Tae Bok, Col. Gen. No Kwang Chol (KPAGS), Col. Gen. So Hong Chan, Col. Gen. Yun Tong Hyon (MPAF), Comprehensive Affairs, DPRK Cabinet, DPRK External Relations, DPRK Intelligence Community, DPRK Premier, Finance and Accounting, Gen. Kim Won Hong, Gen. Kim Yong Chol, Gen. Pak Yong Sik (MPAF), Gen. Ri Myong Su, Gen. Yun Jong Rin, General Affairs, Guard Command, Hwang Pyong So, Hwang Pyong So (GPD; KPA VMAR), ideological slogans, Information Section, Jang Chol (State Academy of Science President), Jo Chun Ryong, Jo Yon Jun (OGD), Joint Slogans, Jon Il Chun, Jon Yong Nam (KISYL), Ju Yong Gil (GFTUK), Kim Family, Kim Il Sung Youth League, Kim Jong Im, Kim Jong Sun (KDWU), Kim Jong-il, Kim Jong-un, Kim Phyong Hae (Cadres/NPYPPC), Kim Yong Jin (DPRK Vice Premier), Kim Yong Nam, kisyl, KJI Personal Secretariat, KJI/KJU Ideological Works, Korean Democratic Women's Union, Korean People's Army (KPA), Korean People's Internal Security Forces, Korean Workers' Party (KWP), KPA General Political Bureau, KPA General Political Department, KPA General Propaganda Department, KPA General Staff, KPA Party Life, KPA supernumerary organizations, kpif, Kwak Pom Gi, KWP Science and Education Department, Light Industry Department, Lt. Gen. Kim Su Gil, Lt. Gen. Ryom Chol Song, Military Affairs, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Trade, ministry of people's security, Ministry of State Security, Ministry of the People's Armed Forces (MPAF), MPAF GPB, National Defense Commission (NDC), North Korean press, O Kuk Ryol, O Kuk-yol, Organization and Guidance Department, PAD Guidance Section, Pak Myong Sun (WPK LID), Pak Pong Ju, Pak To Chun, party cells, Party elders, Party History Institute, party life, Party Life Guidance, Political Bureau, Propaganda and Agitation Department, Public Events, Publications, Ri Mu Yong (DPRK Vice Premier), Ri Ryong Nam, Ri Yong Sik (Rodong editor), Second Economy Commission, Secretariat, State Academy of Sciences, State Security Department, Supreme People's Assembly, VADM Ri Yong Chu, VMar Ri Yong Mu, Workers' and Social Organizations, Yang Hyong Sop