KPA Anniversary Commemorated
View of the platform at the MPAF of a February 7, 2017 meeting of senior KPA officials marking the historical anniversary of North Korea’s armed forces. This photo appeared top center on the front page of the February 8, 2017 edition of the WPK daily newspaper Rodong Sinmun (Photo: Rodong Sinmun/KCNA).
A meeting of the Korean People’s Army [KPA] high command was held at the teaching hall of the Ministry of the People’s Armed Forces office complex on February 7 (Tuesday) to commemorate the KPA’s historical anniversary [February 8]. Attending the meeting were KPA General Political Department Director and State Affairs Commission Vice Chairman VMar Hwang Pyong So (Hwang Pyo’ng-so), Chief of the KPA General Staff VMar Ri Myong Su (Ri Myo’ng-su), Minister of the People’s Armed Forces Gen. Pak Yong Sik (Pak Yo’ng-sik), 1st Vice Minister of the People’s Armed Forces Col. Gen. So Hong Chan (So Hong-ch’an), Vice Minister of the People’s Armed Forces Col. Gen. Yun Tong Hyong (Yun To’ng-hyo’n) deputy director of the KPA General Political Department Lt. Gen. Ryom Chol Song (Ryom Ch’o’l-so’ng), deputy director of the KPA General Political Department Lt. Gen. Jo Nam Jin (Cho Nam-chin), other members of the high command and KPA service members and officers stationed in Pyongyang.
Participants applaud during a February 7, 2017 meeting marking the KPA’s historical anniversary. This photo appeared bottom-right on the front page of the February 8, 2017 edition of the WPK daily organ Rodong Sinmun (Photo: Rodong Sinmun/KCNA).
VMar Hwang delivered a report. He noted that the “development of the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army into the regular revolutionary armed forces was a brilliant victory of the idea and line of building the regular armed forces set forth by the President [Kim Il Sung; Kim Il-so’ng] on the basis of the immortal Chuch’e idea and So’ngun [military-first] idea” and said that “leader Kim Jong Il [Kim Cho’ng-il] set it forth as the general task of building the army to model the whole army on Kimilsungism and strengthened the People’s Army into the perfect army of the leader and the Party. Respected Supreme Commander Kim Jong Un (Kim Cho’ng-u’n) has firmly defended the feats of the peerlessly great men in building the army and added luster to them through his energetic leadership with the firm will to make the People’s Army the eternal army of the President and Kim Jong Il.”
Hwang called “for vigorously bolstering up the military muscle under the unfurled banner of modeling the whole army of Kimilsungism-Kimjongilsm under the So’ngun [military-first] revolutionary leadership of Kim Jong Un and thus building a powerful socialist country, reunified and prosperous, on the land desire by the President and Kim Jong Il.” VMar Hwang said that the “KPA would keep highly alert under the prevailing situation and that if the enemies dare violate sovereignty and dignity of the country even a bit then the KPA will wipe out the strongholds of aggression through merciless preemptive strikes of Korean style and accomplish the historic cause of national reunification without fail.”
