Kim Jong Un Attends 4th Conference of KPA Artillery personnel

Kim Jong Un addresses the fourth conference of KPA Artillery personnel in Pyongyang on December 3, 2015 (Photo: Rodong Sinmun).

Kim Jong Un’s last observed appearance was his visit to KPA Tree Nursery #122

Kim Jong Un (Kim Cho’ng-u’n) addressed the proceedings of the fourth conference of Korean People’s Army [KPA] artillery personnel on December 3 (Thursday) and December 4 (Friday), and later attended a photo-op with conference participants.  Also attending the conference were VMar Hwang Pyong So (Director of the KPA General Political Department), Gen. Pak Yong Sik (Minister of the People’s Armed Forces), Gen. Ri Yong Gil (Chief of the KPA General Staff), Gen. Jo Kyong Chol (Director of the Military Security Command), Gen. Yun Jong Rin (Director of the Guard Command), Col. Gen. Pak Jong Chon (Vice Chief of the KPA General Staff/Director of the KPA General Staff Fire Power Department), Col. Gen. Yun Tong Hyon (Vice Minister of the People’s Armed Forces) Lt. Gen. Yun Yong Sik (head of the KPA Artillery Command), Lt. Gen. Ryom Chol Song (Deputy Director of the KPA General Political Department/head of the KPA General Propaganda Department), Lt. Gen. Jo Nam Jin (Deputy Director of the KPA General Political Department/head of the KPA Organization Department), Maj. Gen. An Ji Yong (commander of coastal island defense) along with other senior KPA commanders, artillery officers, political corps officers, representatives of DPRK military education institutes and KPA artillery heroes “including the members of the Hero Artillery Piece on Mu Islet.”

View of the leadership platform at April 25 House of Culture in Pyongyang, the venue of the 4th conference of KPA Artillery personnel held on December 3 and December 4, 2015 (Photo: Rodong Sinmun).

In an opening speech to the conference, Jong Un said that “the conference is of a great significance in glorifying the exploits performed by President Kim Il Sung (Kim Il-so’ng) and leader Kim Jong Il (Kim Cho’ng-il) for the building of Chuch’e-oriented artillery forces and perfectly rounding off the combat readiness of the artillery personnel as required by the modern warfare” and formally opened the conference “expressing the conviction that the conference would make success in its work thanks to high political enthusiasm and active participation of all its attendants and thus provide a historic landmark in rounding off the combat readiness of the artillery personnel and increasing the invincible might of the Chuch’e-oriented revolutionary armed forces.”

According to KCNA, the 4th conference of KPA artillery personnel, which included reports and speeches,  “analyzed and reviewed the fulfillment of the tasks set forth by Kim Jong Il in his letter to the participants in the 3rd conference of KPA artillery personnel and successes, experience and lessons gained in the work of implementing the tasks set forth by the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) for the artillery field in recent years, and discussed measures for bringing about a drastic turn in rounding off the combat readiness of the artillery personnel.”

Kim Jong Un made a speech during the course of the artillery conference in which he “extended thanks to all the artillery personnel of the KPA who are standing guard over the sky, land and sea posts of the country along with their beloved artillery pieces even at the moment” and  said “what is most important in rounding off the combat readiness of the artillery personnel is to conduct an ideological campaign all at once for making intensive and saturation firing for on-target impact and thus prepare them to be those strongest in mental power who do not abandon their revolutionary faith even though they may die.”  His speech underscored “the need to thoroughly carry out the party’s policy of bringing about a turn in the training and make the flames of collective innovations rage in all the training grounds and focus efforts on raising the rate of hits” and that “in order to increase the power of artillery pieces, it is necessary to step up the work of modernizing artillery hardware as required by the modern warfare.  As was taught by Kim Jong Il, a war is not declared in advance and, therefore, it is important to always keep a high alert in order to cope with any unexpected situation on one’s own initiative.”

Kim Jong Un also called on “all the commanding officers of the artillery units of the KPA to turn out as one in the struggle for rounding off the combat readiness with the unusual resolution and determination of a self-blasting fighter out for a final battle and thus create a heroic myth of Ch’o’llima speed at which they fulfill their mission for bolstering up artillery forces in a matter of one year instead of 10 years” and he  “mentioned issues arising in firmly establishing the trait of attaching importance to the artillery in the whole army.”  Jong Un also “expressed the conviction that all the artillery personnel would creditably fulfill their mission and duty they have assumed before the times and the revolution.”

Whilst delivering closing remarks, he said that the conference “would be brilliantly recorded in the history of building Chuch’e-oriented revolutionary armed forces as a historic conference, a conference for all-out advance of the artillery personnel as it brought about a fundamental turn in making artillery personnel fully combat-ready and ushering in a heyday in increasing the capabilities of the armed forces as required by the four strategic lines for building powerful armed forces set forth by the party and the prevailing situation” and “called on all the participants in the conference to make charge full of confidence by holding fast to the important guidelines for increasing the capabilities of the artillery forces as clarified by the WPK and become pace-setters and vanguard in the struggle for greeting the 7th Congress of the WPK with shining achievements in increasing the might of the artillery forces.”

Jong Un also “emphasized that a revolutionary turn would be sure to take place in rounding off the combat readiness of the artillery personnel as there are the correct guidance of the WPK and the heroic artillery personnel who are intensely loyal to the party.”  He expressed his “his firm belief that all the participants would fully embody the spirit of the conference and creditably discharge their sacred mission and duty they have assumed before the party, the revolution, the country and its people” and he “extended a warm militant salute to the participants in the conference, expressing his expectation and conviction that all of them would thoroughly round off the combat readiness of the artillery personnel amid the high-pitched movement for conducting intensive training in the spirit of Mt. Paektu and becoming crack shots and take the lead in ushering in a heyday in the drive for increasing the military capabilities.”

Commemorative photo of Kim Jong Un with KPA Artillery Officers and Service members who participated in the fourth conference for artillery personnel (Photos: KCNA).

On December 4 (Friday), Kim Jong Un attended a commemorative photo-op at Ku’msusan Palace of the Sun with the conference participants.  He “warmly congratulated” the participants and opined that the conference “served as an important occasion in bringing about a revolutionary turn in rounding off the combat readiness of the artillery personnel by perfectly applying the Chuch’e-oriented war method of the artillery as required by the modern war, true to the WPK’s idea of attaching importance to the artillery.”  After the photo-op, Jong Un waved to the participants and he expressed his ” belief that all the participants would bear in mind the fact that it is a duty and stance of the artillery personnel fully ready for a decisive battle to prepare themselves as crack shots and put fresh spurs to rounding off the combat readiness and thus fulfill their sacred mission and duty they have assumed before the country and revolution.”