SUPREME LEADER KIM JONG UN IN THE YEAR 2012

SUPREME LEADER KIM JONG UN IN THE YEAR 2012

FOREIGN LANGUAGES PUBLISHING HOUSE PYONGYANG, KOREA

JUCHE 103 (2014)

The revolutionary cause of Juche pioneered on Mt Paektu will be carried forward reliably by Comrade Kim Jong Un as the lineage of Mt Paektu.

I say this with confidence.

Kim Jong Il

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INTRODUCTION Immediately after making his first official appearance on the political stage,

Kim Jong Un, supreme leader of the DPRK (Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea), received unstinted respect of all the service personnel and people of his country and was thrust into the spotlight in the world.

In one year, 2012, he performed achievements noteworthy in history. Shouldering the destiny of socialist Korea and its people after the sudden

passing of Kim Jong Il, he accomplished the cause of immortalizing the leader in the most perfect way and, while frustrating all sorts of aggressive moves of the imperialists under the banner of Songun, achieved miraculous successes in building a thriving country and improving the peoples standard of living.

This book introduces, together with photographs, his representative ac-tivities in 2012.

The Editorial Board wishes that this book will help people to have a deeper understanding of Kim Jong Un.

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CONTENTS FOOTSTEPS..............................................................................7

HOLDING ALOFT THE BANNER OF SONGUN .............14 On the Morning of New Years Day ..................................................14 Guiding Flight Drills.......................................................................16 Spending Much Time with the Service Personnel.................................17 On a Torpedo Boat .........................................................................19 Though Night Advanced .................................................................20 Inspecting the First-Line Units..........................................................21 Panmunjom...................................................................................22 Unit Defending Cho Island ..............................................................24 Submarine Chaser No. 202...............................................................25 Joint Striking Exercise ....................................................................26 Unit Defending Ryo Island ..............................................................28 Baton Passed by Forerunners of the Revolution ...................................29 Korean Peoples Army Military Hardware Museum .............................................................31 Military Parade in Celebration of the Day of the Sun............................32 Combined Tactical Exercise.............................................................35 26th Exhibition of Military Science and Technology of the Korean Peoples Army ...........................................................36 Air Force Day................................................................................37

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To Honour Kim Jong Ils Promise ....................................................38 To Celebrate the War Victory Forever ...............................................39 A Sacred War for National Reunification ...........................................40 A Day at the Persimmon-Tree Company ............................................42 Be Confident of Victory ..................................................................43 Final Signature ..............................................................................44 Along with Revolutionary Military Songs...........................................46 60th Anniversary of the Establishment of Kim Il Sung Military University...................................................47

AN INTEGRATED WHOLE OF LEADER, PARTY AND MASSES...........................................................49 Arm-in-Arm and Shoulder-to-Shoulder ..............................................50 Leader Rich in Comrades-in-Arms ....................................................50 Autograph.....................................................................................52 Photographs Taken with the Leader...................................................53 Cheers..........................................................................................58 A Whistle at Joyang........................................................................60 Posing for a Photograph with Officers Wives.....................................61 VIP Seats Removed ........................................................................63 With Barbers .................................................................................63 Against a Natural Calamity ..............................................................64 A Proposal Turned Down ................................................................65 Why Have You Come Here? ............................................................67 Motherly Care ...............................................................................69 Following the Leader ......................................................................71 Long Live the Workers Party of Korea..............................................78

KIM JONG ILS PATRIOTISM ..........................................79 At the Beginning of the New Year.....................................................79

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For Promoting the Development of New Techniques and Products ......................................................82 At a Go......................................................................................82 National Industrial Art Centre ..........................................................84 Peoples Theatre ............................................................................85 Unshakeable Will ...........................................................................87 Land Administration and Patriotism ..................................................88 On the Tree-Planting Day ................................................................89 Rungna Peoples Recreation Ground .................................................90 For Improving the Quality of Products ................................................96 Changjon Street..............................................................................96 Ryugyong Health Complex and Peoples Open-Air Ice Rink .................102 Central Zoo .................................................................................106 Pyongyang Hosiery Factory ............................................................107 Pyongyang Airport........................................................................109 Moranbong Band..........................................................................111 With Kim Jong Ils Patriotism as the Initial Spark .............................113 Ungok Area General Stockbreeding Farm.........................................115 Changed Changsong .....................................................................116 Haemaji Restaurant ......................................................................117 Taedonggang Tile Factory .............................................................118 Pyongyang Vegetable Institute and Pyongyang Floricultural Institute ....................................................120 Universal 12-Year Compulsory Education........................................122 Hot Wind of Sports.......................................................................122 Mirim Riding Club .......................................................................125 For Building Pyongyang as the Centre of Songun Culture ...................127 Grass for Meat .............................................................................128 Stroking the Body of a Launch Vehicle ............................................128

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Successful Launch of Kwangmyongsong 3-2 ....................................130 Title of DPRK Hero Conferred on 101 Persons .................................132 Towards the Status of Space Power .................................................133 Forward towards Final Victory .......................................................135

EPIC OF HIS AFFECTION FOR THE PEOPLE.............137 Gifts ..........................................................................................137 Nothing Should Be Spared.............................................................138 At Mangyongdae Revolutionary School ...........................................138 Honoured Couples........................................................................142 For Children in Far-Flung Islands ...................................................143 Mansugyo Meat and Fish Shop.......................................................144 For Inpatients ..............................................................................146 Imbuing the Spirit of Devoted Service for the People .........................146 Days Spent in Pyongyang ..............................................................147 Which Do the People Prefer? .........................................................148 Blessed Couple ............................................................................149 Convenience First and Aesthetics Next ............................................150 To the Last Detail.........................................................................150 At the Peoples Open-Air Ice Rink ..................................................151 Parental Care for Children .............................................................152 A Day Spent for KCU Members .....................................................153 For the Good of Children...............................................................158 Visiting a Kindergarten Again ........................................................159 There Can Be No Satisfaction in Doing Things for the Good of the People .............................................................162 Changjon Street Brimming with Gratitude ........................................163 For War Veterans .........................................................................164 Message of Congratulations Sent from the Front Line.........................165

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Visiting Families That Moved into New Houses ................................167 For the Good Health of the People ..................................................173 Autographed Replies to Children ....................................................174 Let Us Serve the People! ...............................................................175 Love for Children.........................................................................176 For Women .................................................................................177 Mothers Day ..............................................................................178 Blessings for Space Conquerors......................................................179 Our Leader Beloved of People........................................................183

KIM JONG UN SYNDROME ............................................184 Has President Kim Il Sung Come to Life Again?...............................184 230 000 Articles an Hour...............................................................185 Herald of the Era of Kim Jong Un ..................................................185 Sun of Mankind ...........................................................................186 Person of the Year 2012 ................................................................187

FOOTSTEPS

Step, step, step, step, step, footsteps,

General Kims footsteps set the pace

With the mettle of February

Marching on step, step, step

His footsteps onward go, ringing out loud as he leads us on

Our country all as one greets him, step, step, step.

Footsteps is a song singing the praises of Kim Jong Un.

The service personnel and people of Korea enjoy singing this song.

Why do his footsteps have a deeper meaning today?

His footsteps which were reverberating in the sea of tears of blood

of December 2011 now make people enveloped in an ennobling

emotion.

At the ceremony of bidding last farewell to Kim Jong Il, who passed

away so suddenly and so early, the car carrying his bier began to move, and

Kim Jong Un, too, began to move alongside the car with his hand on the

car. His eyes were betraying an indescribably great pain of loss, and the

footsteps of him, the most loyal guard of the leader, moved the people who

were looking at him.

The footsteps of Kim Jong Un, who was braving in the van though

the snow falling endlessly as if it were the tears of people, were stout

ones, reflecting his determination to build his country into a thriving

socialist one by carrying forward and accomplishing the cause of the

Juche revolution pioneered on Mt. Paektu.

Ryang Ok Sun, an overseas Korean, wrote in her book, titled The Sun Rises

on Mt. Paektu.

In the days of distress when it had no outstanding leader, what the Korean

nation experienced was only the pain of a ruined nation. It had to wander to

foreign countries in search of a leader and of a home. At that time, when the

outside of a home was called an alien place, my grandfather and grandfather-

in-law had to stagger along to foreign countries. And when did this nation

begin to take determined steps for a great turn?

Ill not return until Korea became independentWith this far-reaching

determination for national restoration, young Kim Il Sung took his steps at

the tender age of 13, shouldering the destiny of his nation and fellow

people. After the whole nation followed his footsteps, a new history of

Korea began.

O Korea, I Will Add Glory to TheeWith this determination to add glory

to his country, Kim Jong Il took his steps on Ryongnam Hill. Under his

Songun-based leadership our nation greeted the epochal days of

accomplishing the cause of building a thriving country.

The steps Kim Jong Un took on the first day after the year of tears of

bloodThey were the steps of his immutable faith and will to continue the

march that started on Mt. Paektu.

Following his footsteps, all the service personnel and people turned out as

one.

Leading them, Kim Jong Un accomplished in the year 2012 the cause of

immortalizing the leader.

He ensured that portraits of beaming Kim Jong Il, which had been created

under his personal guidance of several years, were set up in Pyongyang and

many other places. Looking at the beaming image of Kim Jong Il in tears,

people became confident that he will always be with them and his

revolutionary career and achievements will shine forever.

Reflecting the ardent desire of the service personnel and people

to see the statue of Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un led the creation of

the bronze statues of Kim Jong Il, and had the statues of Kim Il Sung

and Kim Jong Il set up on Mansu Hill and at the Mansudae Art

Studio and the Ministry of the Peoples Armed Forces in

Pyongyang. When he was looking at the statutes set up at the

Ministry of the Peoples Armed Forces on his way back from a

tour of inspection of the front, he expressed his satisfaction,

saying that the images of the Generalissimos, who are living in the

hearts of the service personnel and people, had been portrayed to be

most respectful and intimate. Later similar statues were set up at

Kim Il Sung Military University and the Ministry of State Security

and in such cities as Kanggye and Hamhung.

On February 14 the Central Committee and Central Military Commission

of the WPK (Workers Party of Korea), the NDC (National Defence

Commission) of the DPRK and the Presidium of the SPA (Supreme Peoples

Assembly) issued a decision on awarding the title of Generalissimo of the

DPRK to Kim Jong Il. February 16, Kim Jong Ils birthday, was instituted as

the Day of the Shining Star, and the Kumsusan Memorial Palace was renamed

the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun.

On April 6 Kim Jong Un made public a work, titled, Let Us Brilliantly

Accomplish the Revolutionary Cause of Juche, Holding Kim Jong Il in

High Esteem as the Eternal General Secretary of Our Party. In the work he

stressed that only when the WPK holds Kim Jong Il as its eternal general

secretary can it brilliantly accomplish the revolutionary cause of Juche by

promoting the revolution and construction with vigour and that the post of

General Secretary of the WPK should be occupied only by Kim Jong Il even

though one generation is replaced by another. And he defined Kimilsungism-

Kimjongilism as the guiding ideology of the WPK.

On April 11 the Fourth Conference of the WPK was convened in

Pyongyang. Kim Jong Un attended the conference.

The conference discussed On Holding the Great Leader Comrade

Kim Jong Il in High Esteem as the Eternal General Secretary of the WPK and

Adding Eternal Lustre to His Revolutionary Career and Imperishable

Revolutionary Achievements as its first agenda item.

Two days later the Fifth Session of the 12th SPA of the DPRK amended the

Socialist Constitution of the DPRK; according to the amended constitution

Kim Jong Il is held as the eternal Chairman of the NDC of the DPRK. This

was enacted as an ordinance of the SPA.

On December 17 the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun was inaugurated to mark

the first anniversary of the passing of Kim Jong Il. Kim Jong Un attended the

ceremony.

He sent a letter of thanks to all the service personnel and people who

devoted themselves with such sincerity to laying out the Kumsusan Palace of

the Sun as befits the supreme sanctuary of Juche.

It was the Korean peoples ardent wish to have Kim Il Sung live in a fine

house after he had been leading the Korean revolution to victory, experiencing

every manner of difficulty while living in a log cabin in the forests of Mt.

Paektu in the days of anti-Japanese armed struggle, in an uncomfortable

dormitory at the foot of Mt. Haebang in Pyongyang in the days of building a

new Korea after its liberation and then in a simple farmhouse in Kosanjin and

a damp underground tunnel in the days of the Korean war, recognizing their

desire Kim Jong Il had the Kumsusan Assembly Hall built for him, and after

he passed away suddenly, he had it rebuilt as a memorial palace with due

solemnity where Kim Il Sung was preserved in his lifetime appearance. He

declined the peoples earnest request that he work there, and instead worked in

his simple office and on board his train until the last moment of his life.

Determined, after the Generals demise, to satisfy their wish to have him

reside and work in the splendid assembly hall, a wish they had, to their eternal

regret, failed to realize in his lifetime, the Korean people had Kim Jong Il

preserved in the Kumsusan Memorial Palace in his lifetime appearance as

they had done with the President and renamed it the Kumsusan Palace of the

Sun. They laid out in the most magnificent fashion the interior of the palace,

including the halls where Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il are preserved in their

lifetime appearance, the hall where their statues stand, the hall of lamentation,

the rooms where the national and foreign orders, medals and honorary titles

conferred on them are exhibited, the halls where the coaches, cars and vessel

they used are exhibited and the conference halls, and created lawns and parks

outside the palace. That the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun has been built as a

grand monumental edifice dedicated to the immortality of the leaders in its

content, style and scope is a product of loyalty of the WPK, KPA and people

that are determined to hold the two leaders in high esteem forever. The

Kumsusan Palace of the Sun is not merely a product of the architectural art but

a grand monumental edifice dedicated to the immortality of the leaders, born

of the pure loyalty and the noble sense of moral obligation of the WPK, KPA

and people, and a sacred place of the revolution infused with the sincere

devotion of the service personnel and people from across the country. The

service personnel and people from across the country demonstrated to the

whole world the true image and invincible might of socialist Korea in which

the leader, the Party, the army and the people have formed a harmonious

whole, and also demonstrated the noble sense of moral obligation of true

communists by devoting themselves heart and soul to the nationally

significant cause of building up, with whole-hearted loyalty to the Party and

the leaders, the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun into the supreme sanctuary of

Juche.

The song of faith the Korean service personnel and people sing with all

their hearts reverberates.

Step, step, step, step, step, footsteps,

General Kims footsteps set the pace

For the cause of February

Marching on step, step, step

His footsteps onward go, ringing out louder as he leads us on

Our future shining bright comes nearer, step, step, step.

The steps Korea took in 2012 resounded across the globe, and the world

exclaimed, 2012 was a year of Kim Jong Un, the supreme leader of Korea.

HOLDING ALOFT THE BANNER

OF SONGUN

Holding aloft the banner of Songun, Kim Jong Un, Supreme Commander

of the KPA, inspected one army unit after another in 2012. It was his

invariable faith and will to hold as ever the banner of Songun, which

Kim Jong Il had held all his life, and exalt the brilliance of his achievements

of Songun forever. By dint of this faith and will, he consolidated his countrys

military capabilities and frustrated the imperialists tenacious moves for

aggression.

On the Morning of New Years Day

On January 1 Kim Jong Un visited the Seoul Ryu Kyong Su Guards 105th

Tank Division, and congratulated the officers and men of the unit on New

Years Day. Shaking hands with the commanding officers, he said he had

come to see them, who must have spent the days in tears of blood after losing

Kim Jong Il, encouraging them to brace themselves up.

The division organized in August 1948 under the leadership of Kim Il Sung

followed a road resplendent with victory and glory.

During the Korean war unleashed by the United States, the division

occupied Seoul three days after the start of the war; it hoisted the flag of the

DPRK on the Capitol Building and broadcast the news of the liberation of

Seoul from the Radio Seoul Station. It performed brilliant feats in the battle

for liberating Taejon and in numerous other battles.

The division is also associated with the leadership of Kim Jong Il.

Having started his Songun-based revolutionary leadership by visiting the

division on August 25, 1960, he inspected it on several occasions in his

lifetime.

Kim Jong Uns inspection of the unit on the first day of the new year

was the announcement of his immutable faith and will to stoutly follow the

road of Songun which Kim Jong Il had traversed all his life.

That day while looking round the operations study room, e-library

and training equipment at the unit, Kim Jong Un acquainted himself

with its training and combat readiness. He spoke highly of the officers

and men of the unit for having made proactive efforts for training and

perfecting their combat readiness on the alert against the enemys

aggressive moves.

Expressing his expectation and belief that they would continue to perform

military feats at their honourable posts in the future too, he posed for a

photograph with them.

Guiding Flight Drills

In January Kim Jong Un inspected three units of the KPA Air Force.

When inspecting Unit 354 on January 20, he guided flight drills by the

airmen while standing on a windy runway.

The airmen fully displayed their flight control skills, demonstrating that

they were ready to annihilate the enemy with merciless strikes.

Kim Jong Un met them after the drills, and congratulated them for the

successful drills.

On January 27 he guided flight drills by the airmen of Unit 378.

He said that as long as the dependable and commendable airmen

were defending the airspace of the country no enemy would dare

provoke Songun Korea and the sky over it would always remain clear

and blue. He assigned the accompanying commanding officers and

the members of the operation command staff of the Supreme

Headquarters the tasks to be carried out in perfecting the combat

readiness of the KPA.

When inspecting Unit 1017 on January 30, he stood in the windy

outside of the command post for a long time, guiding the airmens

flight drills. He recognized DPRK Hero Ho Ryong who was

commanding the drills, and praised him once again for his

courageous action to beat back a US strategic reconnaissance plane

that had violated the airspace of the country.

Then while making the rounds of the combat and technical

equipment newly developed by the unit in the course of upgrading

the military hardware and facilities, he gave relevant instructions.

Satisfied at the strength of the Air Force that does not talk empty talk

nor has mercy on the enemy, he expressed his expectation and belief

that it would make redoubled efforts for combat readiness so as to

defend the blue sky over the country.

Spending Much Time with the Service Personnel

On January 21 Kim Jong Un inspected the headquarters of KPA Large

Combined Unit 671.

After looking round the headquarters, he dropped in at a company

directly under the command of the large combined unit. Sitting on a

chair in the education room, he listened to the company commander and

political instructor singing a song.

He said that it was regrettable that their singing was not appraised

because of the failure of the karaoke equipment, and that if it had been

appraised the mark must have been 100.

In a bedroom he looked at the thermometer and felt a soldiers

blanket with his hand to learn its quality. In a bathroom he learned

whether the water was warm enough and made an earnest request to the

company commander and political instructor to work closely together

to take good care of the service personnel.

When one of his accompanying officers told him that a lot of time

had passed, he said the time spent among the service personnel was the

most important for him and he did not grudge such time. He then looked

round the supply service facilities like the mess hall and storehouse,

before leaving the unit.

On a Torpedo Boat

On February 6 Kim Jong Un visited KPA Navy Unit 158.

After inspecting one of its subunits, he went to the windy port and got

on torpedo boat No. 1307.

At the order for departure, the sailors swiftly occupied their

positions.

At the command post of the boat which was sailing raising spray,

Kim Jong Un looked at the sailors under manoeuvring. The sea wind

was quite sharp, but he ordered them to manoeuvre more daringly by

accelerating the boats speed. He spoke highly of the captain for

commanding the boats manoeuvring skilfully by changing the boats

course accurately. He then posed for a photograph with the sailors who

had lined up on the deck after the training.

Though Night Advanced

On February 7 Kim Jong Un inspected the headquarters of KPA Large

Combined Unit 324 and Unit 156 under it. Dusk was deepening, but he

continued his inspection. He looked round the barracks, education room and

lecture room at the company directly under the unit, showing close care for the

soldiers living conditions.

When he knew the company commander and political instructor fell ill,

he sent for them so that he could see them. The two officers appeared after

a good while. They felt sorry, but Kim Jong Un shook hands with each of

them, saying the commanding officers of the company, who ought to look

after the rank-and-file soldiers, should be healthy. Shaking hands again

with the commanding officers who were reluctant to say good-bye to him,

he requested that they look after their men with care so that the latter could

be successful in training. When he was leaving the company, night had far

advanced.

Inspecting the First-Line Units

On February 25 Kim Jong Un inspected the units under the command

of the 4th Corps of the KPA stationed at the first line of the southwestern

front.

First he inspected the 1st and 4th battalions under Unit 403. He spoke highly

of the subunit, which is well known with the lake of fire on Yonphyong Island

for its merciless shower of fire on the island in November 2010 when the

south Korean puppet troops on it fired guns at the DPRKs territorial waters.

Viewing the subunits combat positions in the aspects of topographical

features and combat preparations, he said the current deployment was not

ideal from a tactical point of view and specified the tasks for relocating its

positions boldly.

That day he inspected the forward command post of Unit 688.

He inquired into the topographical features, the deployment of forces

and performance of guard duty. He gave the unit tasks for consolidating its

defence theatre securely to provide against the enemys provocative

moves.

Time passed, but he headed for a coast artillery battalion under Unit

493. He guided the training by the artillerymen, and then went to a

battalion under Unit 641. He gave the battalion a pair of binoculars, an

automatic rifle and a machine gun before posing with the soldiers for a

photograph. Then looking round the education room, bedroom and mess

hall, he said that the commanding officers should strive to provide their

men with excellent living conditions, bearing deep in their minds the

instructions of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il that supply service work is

immediately political work.

Panmunjom

On March 3 Kim Jong Un inspected Panmunjom, which is

situated at the hottest spot where guns may be fired any moment

owing to the reckless provocative moves of the US and south Korean

puppet forces.

At the time the Key Resolve and Foal Eagle, war games staged by the US

and south Korean puppet forces, were at their height. Even the air in

Panmunjom seemed to be charged owing to the acute stand-off between the

opposing forces.

After being briefed about the performance of combat duty by the unit

defending Panmunjom, Kim Jong Un proceeded to the foremost line where

one could see the enemy soldiers.

He first saw the monument inscribed with Kim Il Sungs autograph,

recollecting the imperishable exploits Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il

had performed for the countrys reunification. Having inspected

Panmunjom on four occasions, Kim Jong Il had seen to it that the

monument was set up in Panmunjom to hand down to posterity the

noble patriotic intention of Kim Il Sung, who had left his signature, the

last of its kind in his lifetime, on a document concerned with removing

the tragedy of national division.

Firming up his determination to hand down a reunified country to the

coming generations by realizing the wish of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il,

Kim Jong Un posed with the accompanying officials for a photograph in

front of the monument.

Then on the balcony of the Panmun House, he acquainted himself

with the enemys movements.

The unexcelled courage and pluck with which he went as far as the

Demilitarized Zone, which is as good as an enemy area, in broad daylight

instilled confidence in sure victory in the hearts of the officers and men,

who were all keyed up with full combat readiness. Kim Jong Un met the

soldiers who had been relieved of their guard duty. Saying that they were

all sturdy, that he had wanted to see them, and that he was glad to meet

them now, he posed for a photograph with them.

In this way an ennobling scene of the integral whole of the Supreme

Commander and his men with the latter forming a fortress for the

former ring after ring and shoulder to shoulder was unfolded at the

centre of Panmunjom within a stones throw from the enemy soldiers.

That day Kim Jong Un emphatically said that should a war break

out the Korean service personnel and people would make the enemy

kneel down and sign a document of surrender, not a document of

armistice.

Unit Defending Cho Island

On March 9 Kim Jong Un inspected the unit defending Cho Island, a

frontline unit on the West Sea of Korea.

The unit is associated with the leadership of Kim Jong Il, who had gone to

the island across the high sea on November 23, 1996, saying that the soldiers

there were waiting for him.

On arriving at the island, Kim Jong Un learned in detail about the

combat readiness of the unit and the living conditions of the soldiers.

Winding up his inspection after a long time, he told the officers of the

unit that he was entrusting the island to the unit and that he wished them

a greater success in the efforts for perfecting their combat readiness. He

then left the island across the sea, which was yet to thaw fully.

Submarine Chaser No. 202

At dawn of March 9 Kim Jong Un went to a military port and got on

submarine chaser No. 202 to inspect KPA Navy Unit 123. Aboard the ship,

he learned about the military hardware on it and the sailors combat

readiness.

While inspecting the unit after getting off the ship, he said to the

accompanying officers about the hands of the ships helmsman, whom he had

seen on board. No one had noticed him seeing the sailor with special attention.

Saying that the sailors would be reluctant to wear gloves because they

might find it difficult to handle equipment, he stressed that measures

should be taken to prevent their hands from getting chapped from the cold

sea wind.

He added that the ideological and spiritual state of the sailors was

excellent, and that they were treasures of the WPK and the Korean

revolution as they were ready to dedicate their youth and even their lives

for the sake of their country and fellow people.

Joint Striking Exercise

On March 14 a joint striking exercise of the ground, air and naval

forces of the KPA was held, and Kim Jong Un gave guidance to it on

the spot.

On an observation platform he was briefed on the plan of the exercise and

the deployment of the units.

He then ordered start of the exercise.

Presently the place of the exercise turned into an active volcano.

Powerful means of strike began to fire, shaking the sky, land and sea;

bursts of shells and bombs were set off from the planes and naval

vessels, and the ground force made a volley fire, destroying the enemy

flotilla.

The a-match-for-a-hundred combatants occupied the enemy

position at a go, performing their combat tasks skilfully in various

situations.

The exercise demonstrated the mettle of the KPA which is ready to

deal an annihilating blow at the enemy should they violate even an inch

of the territorial sky, land or sea of the country.

That day saying that war breaks out any moment and that the enemy

is watching for a surprise attack, Kim Jong Un stressed that the entire

army should keep its eye on the every move of the enemy and defend the

sky, land and sea of the country impregnably.

Unit Defending Ryo Island

On April 4 Kim Jong Un inspected the unit defending Ryo Island, a

frontline post on the East Sea of Korea. Under the close care of Kim Il Sung

and Kim Jong Il it had developed itself into a powerful force that is capable of

repulsing the enemys attack of any kind at one stroke and turned the island

into an impregnable fortress.

Kim Jong Un looked round the military lecture room which has been laid

out as a centre for working out the operations plan and perfecting combat

techniques that are appropriate for modern warfare.

He then made the rounds of the hall of soldiers and library, as well as the

health complex and vegetable greenhouse both of which the unit was

operating on its own. Noting that the unit was exemplary in combat and

political training, supply service, management of the unit and all other

aspects, he spoke highly of its achievements.

I have come to realize after inspecting the unit that it has done an awful lot

of work, he said. He highly appreciated the fact that DPRK Hero Chon Jae

Gwon had worked devotedly as commander of the unit for 25 years to turn the

island into an impregnable fortress and improve the soldiers living standards.

He praised that the commander was a conscientious man who was

devoting his life to defend the frontline post of the country, adding that the

wrinkles on his face were proof positive of his wholehearted efforts.

He told him that he should pay concern to his own health and work harder

to train many officers who would defend the island reliably and then leave it to

them. After that, he noted, he should come to Pyongyang to work with him.

He said with firm confidence in him that he should be aided by such officers

as Chon.

Regarding Kim Jong Un respectfully, Chon and other soldiers pledged to

prove themselves worthy of his trust by fortifying the island as solid as a rock.

Baton Passed by Forerunners of the Revolution

On April 5 Kim Jong Un inspected KPA Navy Unit 155. As he arrived at

the unit by a sea route, the sailors gave him a thunderous welcome.

The unit had been visited on scores of occasions by Kim Il Sung and

Kim Jong Il.

Kim Jong Un said that as the number of their visits indicated, the unit

bearing the traces of the great Generalissimos in every nook and cranny

deserved to be called a revolutionary site.

He continued that the Korean nation had not made a single vessel to defend its

seas in the past but now it had built invincible fleets under the Generalissimos

leadership for the creation and development of the naval force.

Then he pointed out issues concerning education through revolutionary

relics, and underlined that political and ideological education must never be

neglected. He observed that however modern the weapons and equipment

might be, they would be no better than a stick if the soldiers were not prepared

politically and ideologically.

He noted that during the Fatherland Liberation War the unit had achieved a

feat unparalleled in the world history of naval engagement by sinking the US

heavy cruiser Baltimore with four torpedo boats in the sea battle off Jumunjin

and, in times of peace, startled the world by capturing the US armed spy ship

Pueblo which had intruded into the territorial waters of the country.

He emphasized that the sailors should take up the baton passed by

forerunners of the revolution and deal a merciless blow at the enemys vessels

which dared to violate the territorial waters of the country. He added that they

should thus carry on their units tradition of heavy strike and invincibility

generation after generation.

He got aboard patrol boat No. 1003 anchored at the mooring. He looked round

the boat carefully and praised the sailors for preserving it in its original state.

He called it the flagship of the KPA Navy, as it had been inspected four

times by Kim Il Sung, three times by Kim Jong Il and once by Kim Jong Suk,

the anti-Japanese war heroine.

After familiarizing himself with the units combat mission, training,

performance of patrol duty and combat equipment he made his way to the

first, fifth and eighty-third flotillas.

He saw the firing and tactical training by the sailors of torpedo boat No.

1213 of the first flotilla.

When the order was issued the sailors rushed to their posts in high spirits.

They drove the boat giving a loud whistle as if they were dashing forward

towards the aggressors.

Kim Jong Un was very pleased to see the sailors performing their

respective duties briskly and skilfully. He asked when they had joined the

Navy and spoke highly of their swift movements.

He was satisfied to see that while intensifying combat training, the sailors

were keeping a watchful eye on the enemys aggressive moves and

performing combat duty in a responsible manner. He set forth tasks for them

to be tackled in stepping up preparations for battle and improving their combat

efficiency.

He stressed the importance of the role and position of the Navy in the

country as it is surrounded on three sides by sea.

Korean Peoples Army Military Hardware Museum

On April 14 the opening ceremony of the Korean Peoples Army Military

Hardware Museum took place in Pyongyang in the presence of Kim Jong Un

to mark the centenary of the birth of Kim Il Sung.

On display in this magnificent museum are thousands of pieces of weapons

and combat equipment produced at the munitions factories in the country,

ranging from small firearms to artilleries, tanks, armoured vehicles, warships,

aircraft and strategic rockets.

The museum is a national treasure that illustrates the military history of

Kim Il Sungs nation and Kim Jong Ils Korea, Kim Jong Uns noble moral

obligation to the great Generalissimos and the inexhaustible strength of the

country.

Kim Il Sung accomplished the cause of Koreas liberation by force of arms

and, immediately afterwards, set forth the line and policy of building an

independent defence industry and wisely led the effort to put them into practice.

Kim Jong Il regarded the military buildup as an important affair for

defending the destiny of the country and socialism from the beginning of his

Songun-based revolutionary leadership and gave top priority to the

development of defence industry so as to equip the army in a modern way.

As a result, the countrys defence industry has become capable of

manufacturing advanced military hardware.

In the past the Korean people had suffered the disgrace of national ruin because

they had not had even matchlock guns. But today the country has turned into an

invincible military power under the leadership of the great Generalissimos. With a

long-term plan of adding eternal brilliance to their immortal achievements

Kim Jong Un energetically led the effort to build a modern museum of

military hardware in keeping with the requirements of the new century.

Kim Jong Un cut the red ribbon to declare the museum open.

Later, on August 31 he visited the museum again to look round the e-

library that was newly built there. He was satisfied with the fact that in

addition to exhibiting the military hardware, the museum has been renovated

to serve multiple purposes of studying and disseminating military science and

technology and acquiring military knowledge.

Military Parade in Celebration of the Day of the Sun

On April 15 a military parade was held in grandeur at Kim Il Sung Square

in celebration of the centenary of the birth of Kim Il Sung.

Kim Jong Un delivered a historic speech.

He noted that the history of the KPA, which had started out with two

pistols and had developed into a matchless force that stroke terror in the hearts

of the imperialist aggressors, was unprecedented in the world history of army

building.

He went on:

In the long period from its founding to the present day, our Peoples

Army has fought a guerrilla war, a regular war and a showdown without

gunshot; in the course of this, it has embraced all-powerful, Juche-

oriented combat methods and accumulated experience in winning

victories, and it has developed into a powerful armed force equipped

with our unique means of both attack and defence so that it is fully

capable of coping with modern warfare of any type.

The military and technological edge is no longer the monopoly of the

imperialists, and the era is gone forever when the enemy would threaten

us with atomic bombs.

The grand military parade provided clear proof of his statement.

The military parade started with the column carrying the flags bearing the

portraits of beaming Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il entering the square escorted

by the flags of the WPK and the KPA Supreme Commander and military colours.

Amid the playing of military music columns of paraders marched past in fine

array, including those representing veterans of the anti-Japanese war and the

Fatherland Liberation War, those of military schools at all levels including

Kim Il Sung Military University, those of the KPA three services including the

Seoul Ryu Kyong Su 105th Guards Tank Division, the 4th Seoul Kim Chaek

Guards Infantry Division, the 2nd Kang Kon Guards Infantry Division and the 2nd

Guards Torpedo Boat Fleet, and those of the Korean Peoples Internal Security

Forces, the Worker-Peasant Red Guards and Young Red Guards.

The cavalry and motorized columns loaded with sophisticated means of

attack and defence including artilleries, armoured vehicles, tanks and rockets

passed in succession. Tanks, armoured vehicles, heavy artilleries, rockets and

fighter planes were fully ready to charge at the enemy lines upon the order of

the Supreme Commander.

The paraders demonstrated the might of the KPA service personnel who

are constantly on the alert to deal a merciless, annihilating blow against the

enemy if they violate even 0.001mm of the sky, land and sea of their sacred

country.

Combined Tactical Exercise

On April 27 Kim Jong Un gave guidance over the combined tactical

exercise of KPA Combined Unit 655 on the occasion of the 80th anniversary

of the KPA.

Upon the order of the Supreme Commander to start the exercise, powerful

strike means opened fire rocking heaven and earth with ceaseless shower of

shells and bombs.

The planes attacked the targets one after another, tanks and armoured

vehicles dashed to the enemys positions and gallant soldiers occupied the

enemys posts in a moment. Thunderous volleys of gunfire rent the air, and

the enemys positions were enveloped in a sea of fire in an instant.

Artillerymen fired salutes at the end of the exercise.

Kim Jong Un expressed satisfaction over the successful exercise and set

forth important tasks for the KPA to make thoroughgoing preparations to cope

with war. He stressed that all the army units should intensify training to

prepare the officers and men to be valiant combatants who have mastered the

strategy and tactics of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, are well versed in the

methods of brave offensive and possessed of perfect combat capabilities.

26th

Exhibition of Military Science and Technology of the

Korean Peoples Army

The 26th Exhibition of Military Science and Technology of the Korean

Peoples Army was held in April 2012 at the renovated KPA Science and

Technology Exhibition House.

Kim Jong Il had taken necessary measures to renovate the exhibition

house in keeping with the requirements of the new century in order to develop

the military science and technology of the country. To implement his behest

Kim Jong Un visited the exhibition house and solved all the problems arising

in the development of the military science and technology.

Accordingly, the exhibition house was renovated in a splendid fashion.

On April 29 Kim Jong Un visited the venue of the military science and

technology exhibition. He saw the exhibits invented by Kim Il Sung Military

University, KPA Unit 630 and other units. He spoke highly of the scientists,

technicians, researchers and other service personnel of the army units for

carrying on scientific research to step up combat preparations and improve the

living standards of the service personnel and people.

He stressed that they should be well versed in latest science and technology

to make the KPA beat the world in military science and technology and

achieve rapid development in this respect. He expressed his expectations that

the ongoing exhibition would serve as an important opportunity for promoting

the scientific and technological development of the KPA.

Air Force Day

On May 3 Kim Jong Un inspected the headquarters of the Air and Air-

Defence Force of the Korean Peoples Army. After being saluted by the

officers there, he looked round the rooms dedicated to education in the

revolutionary activities of the great Generalissimos and the history of the unit.

The unit has a long history and tradition of rendering considerable services

to developing the air force of the country from the initial days of national

liberation to the present day. It has produced 74 Heroes of the DPRK, 40

Labour Heroes and many medalists. Kim Jong Un noted that the KPA air

force dated back to November 29, 1945, when Kim Il Sung had formed the

first air force unit of the country immediately after its liberation. To celebrate

this significant day for all eternity he set November 29 as Air Force Day.

He also saw to it that the hero pilots among the Vietnam war veterans who

had died after returning home were also buried in the Korean Peoples Army

Martyrs Cemetery to honour their exploits forever.

That day he made the rounds of the command post, operations study room,

hall of soldiers, health complex, mess hall and other places. He was very

pleased with the management of the unit. He expressed his firm belief that the

officers and men of the unit would maintain full combat readiness and reliably

defend the country which is advancing forward towards final victory.

To Honour Kim Jong Ils Promise

On May 23 Kim Jong Un went to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun to have

a photograph taken with the service personnel of KPA Unit 6556.

When he arrived at the plaza of the palace, the service personnel greeted

him with thunderous applause. Tears were streaming down their cheeks. Few

wondered why they were crying with so much emotion.

It was in February 2011 that Kim Jong Il had inspected their unit and

posed for a camera with the commanding officers. When he had been told that

some officers were absent due to the performance of their duty, he had

promised to have a photograph taken with them later.

But he passed away too suddenly, leaving his promise unfulfilled.

Kim Jong Un remembered this promise and called the officers and men of

the unit to the palace. They were overwhelmed with gratitude for the

benevolent care of their Supreme Commander.

To Celebrate the War Victory Forever

On July 8 Kim Jong Un visited the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War

Museum.

Exhibiting numerous materials of historical significance, the museum was

opened to the public on August 17, 1953 to celebrate the victory the Korean

army and people had won in the Fatherland Liberation War (1950-1953)

against the invasion of the US imperialists.

Kim Jong Un looked round several halls and said it was a miracle of

history that under the wise leadership of Kim Il Sung the army and people of

the DPRK had defeated the US-led armed aggressors of 16 countries and the

south Korean puppet army and won a brilliant victory in the Fatherland

Liberation War.

He noted that the young DPRK owed its victory over the US imperialists, the

strongest in the world and their vassal forces to its great ideology, outstanding

strategy and tactics, and indomitable fighting spirit. He underscored the need for

the coming generations to creditably inherit and carry forward the exploits

performed by the elder generations and their fighting spirit.

He said that the management and operation of the museum should be

improved to meet the requirements of the new century and assigned the army

with the task of renovating the building.

A Sacred War for National Reunification

On August 17 Kim Jong Un inspected island-defending units at the hottest

spot in the southernmost of the southwest front, ordering them to make an

immediate, deadly counterattack and lead it to a great campaign for national

reunification if a shell was fired by the enemy into the territory of the DPRK.

In the morning he arrived on a small 27-hp wooden ship at the unit

defending Jangjae Island, from which Yonphyong Island under the enemys

control is not far away.

He climbed up to the observation post, where he stressed that the soldiers

must be fully ready to fire shells at any time if the order was given and if the

enemy, who had not come to themselves yet, started firing, they should deal a

telling blow to them.

Then he made his way to the unit defending Mu Island.

He recalled that in November 2010 the enemy on Yonphyong Island had

fired on Mu Island with no clear idea of where the shells were coming from to

their island, prompting by way of retaliation a crushing counterstrike on the part

of the artillerymen on this island. He proposed awarding the title of DPRK Hero

to gun No. 1 and the unit that demonstrated the stamina of the KPA artillerymen.

At the observation post he looked at Yonphyong Island which is visible to

the naked eye.

He noted that the area was the hottest spot of the Korean peninsula and, at

the same time, a flashpoint that drew the attention of the world and in which

interests of many countries were intertwined. He emphasized that the soldiers

on the island must watch every move of the enemy with vigilance and if a

single shell dropped into the waters or the area within the reach of the DPRKs

sovereignty, they must not restrict it to a local war on the southwest front but

lead it to a sacred war for national reunification.

He ordered them that if the aggressors launched a war, they must make the

West Sea the final grave of the enemy. Gazing out across the southern sky

where the clouds of war were hovering, the Supreme Commander hardened

his determination to realize the national desire for reunification of the country.

A Day at the Persimmon-Tree Company

On August 23 Kim Jong Un inspected the Persimmon-Tree Company

under KPA Unit 4302.

Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il had visited the company on several

occasions, giving instructions on training, combat readiness and soldiers

living conditions. The latter had been concerned about the women soldiers

faces chapped by the sea wind, and arranged a feast on the day when he had

seen their swimming exercise. When he had been told that a soldier, who was

good at playing the accordion, injured her eye, he had taken measures to send

her to a foreign country for treatment. For this scrupulous care shown to the

women soldiers the coast artillery company is widely known.

Kim Jong Un said that a mere mention of its name would touch his

heartstrings, and called the Persimmon-Tree Company a company which was

etched in the annals of the Songun-based revolutionary leadership along with

Kim Jong Ils love for the soldiers and was well known to all.

At the bedroom he checked if the blankets were good enough, and in the

bathhouse, listened to the way of having a sauna using hemp. In the mess

hall he asked if they were short of anything and looked round the salt

ponds run by the company. After conversing with them, he saw the soldiers

so reluctant to part from him and posed for a camera with each of them.

He had a gentle smile on his face for the long photo session.

It was indeed a meaningful day which has left a lasting imprint on the

history of Songun.

Be Confident of Victory

August 25, 2012 marks the 52nd anniversary of Kim Jong Ils start of

Songun-based revolutionary leadership. Along with April 25, the anniversary

of the founding of the KPA, it is a historic day which will shine forever in the

history of the building of armed forces for the Korean revolution.

On his inspection trip to the eastern sector of the front Kim Jong Un, together

with the officers and men of the KPA, enjoyed a performance given by the

Moranbong Band in celebration of this significant day. The performance which

began with the playing of Patriotic Song artistically depicted Kim Jong Ils

immortal achievements of Songun-based revolutionary leadership.

Kim Jong Un attended a banquet hosted by the Central Military Commission

of the WPK and the National Defence Commission of the DPRK .

Present at the banquet were officials of the Central Committee and the

Central Military Commission of the WPK and the National Defence

Commission of the DPRK, commanding officers of the Army, Navy, Air and

Air-Defence Force and Strategic Rocket Force of the KPA, and commanding

officers of the combined units on the eastern sector of the front.

Kim Jong Un delivered a speech.

He said:

Victory and glory alone await us who are advancing under the

unfurled flags bearing the immortal images of the great Kim Il Sung and

Kim Jong Il.

Comrades, let us be confident of victory.

A brilliant future lies before our people.

The speech gave great encouragement to the service personnel and people

across the country. With boundless pride in having such an iron-willed

supreme commander, the officers and men of the KPA were more firmly

convinced that they would surely emerge victorious in the final showdown.

Final Signature

On August 27 Kim Jong Un inspected the headquarters of KPA Large

Combined Unit 313 on the eastern sector of the front and a subunit under it.

The first leg of his inspection trip was KPA Unit 894. He said that the unit

should add lustre to Kim Jong Ils exploits associated with it by performing feats

in the great war for national reunification. He examined its operations plan and

pointed out a number of important issues in completing preparations for action to

cope with the enemys schemes for a war of aggression and combat methods.

In the headquarters of the large combined unit he saw the records on

General Kim Jong Ils field inspection trips. He noted that the General had

already drawn up the programme for a war for national reunification, and

stated that the KPA would certainly win the war if it followed his instructions.

That day he familiarized himself with the enemy deployment on the

eastern sector of the front and reviewed the offensive operations plan of the

large combined unit.

He said that while inspecting the army units at the outposts of the

southwestern sector of the front, he had already issued to the entire army the

order to deal an immediate, annihilating counterblow and switch over to an all-

round counterattack if the enemy throw even one spark on the sacred territory

of the DPRK. He went on that a few days previously, he had reviewed the

operations plan of the Supreme Headquarters and put down his final signature

on it.

The commanding officers of the large combined unit, full of confidence

and courage, requested Kim Jong Un to issue the order for final offensive.

Along with Revolutionary Military Songs

On September 2 Kim Jong Un enjoyed a concert given by the KPA Brass

Band. The creators and instrumentalists were greatly delighted to be honoured

by the guidance of Kim Jong Un for the third time in the year.

Put on stage were such numbers as Fly High, Our Party Flag, The General

Is the Banner of Victory, Song of the Korean Peoples Army, We Will Become

Shields in the Sky, We Shall Be Immortal Defending the Seas of Our

Motherland, Advance and Advance, Song of Coast Artillerymen, Leader, Just

Give Us Your Order, Our March and Forward towards Final Victory.

The performers portrayed through solemn and dynamic tunes the gallant

spirit and invincible might of the heroic KPA service personnel who are

carrying forward the glorious traditions of the anti-Japanese guerrillas and

defending their Party and leader, country and people at the cost of their lives.

Kim Jong Un commented that the revolutionary military songs instilled in

the minds of the soldiers and people firm belief in the victory of the

revolution, optimism, burning hatred against the enemy and determination to

annihilate them. He specified tasks to be tackled by the brass band and ways

of implementing them. Noting that the brass band played marches mainly, he

stressed that it should arrange and play dynamic songs to tone up the morale of

the army and people. He added that military songs should be played to

invigorate the audience and inspire valour and desire for feats in their hearts.

Saying that the brass music Song of the Korean Peoples Army was so

stirring, he stated that on the day of the great war for national reunification the

KPA would make an onward march along with the revolutionary military

songs played by the brass band.

60th

Anniversary of the Establishment of Kim Il Sung

Military University

An influential, world-class academy with a long history, Kim Il Sung

Military University is the highest institution of military education in the

DPRK. On October 29 the statues of Generalissimos Kim Il Sung and

Kim Jong Il erected in the university on the occasion of the 60th anniversary

of its establishment were unveiled.

Kim Jong Un attended the unveiling ceremony and delivered a speech.

Saying that it was the university of Generalissimos Kim Il Sung and

Kim Jong Il both in name and reality as it had been established and developed

under their energetic guidance and deep care, he reviewed the 60-year history

of the university. He said that today it had greeted the heyday of its

development as the highest institution of military education and an influential,

world-class academy with a long history. This was a brilliant fruition of the

Generalissimos wise leadership, he stressed. He clarified the sacred mission

and duty of the university and set forth important tasks to be tackled by it.

He expressed his firm belief that victory and glory will await the university

which is advancing dynamically under the eternal blessings of the great

Generalissimos. He posed for a photograph with the teaching staff of the

university to mark the 60th anniversary of its establishment.

That day the Moranbong Band gave a performance in celebration of the

occasion.

Kim Jong Un enjoyed the performance together with the teaching staff

and cadets of the university, those who graduated from it, officials of military

academies at different levels and officers wives.

AN INTEGRATED WHOLE OF LEADER,

PARTY AND MASSES

The strength of the DPRK consists in the integrated whole of the leader,

the Party and the masses. Its service personnel and people are united ring upon

ring around their leader; this is a more powerful weapon than A-bomb.

Academician, Professor and Doctor Alexei Danilovich Choe of the Academy

of Natural Sciences of Russia wrote about the impressions he had gained at the

celebrations of the centenary of the birth of Kim Il Sung held in April 2012.

My most important impression was all the peoples enthusiasm for the

celebrations, infinite trust in their leader and firm confidence in their

government. Moreover, it would be impossible to invent the thunderous

cheers for the young leader Kim Jong Un at the military parade held in

celebration of the occasion.

I had presumed that the streets in my homeland would be packed with

teary-eyed citizens after the sudden death of Kim Jong Il. But the moment I

saw the cheering crowd, I realized that I was wrong.

The future of the country lies in the unity of its people with a single heart

of love and affection, and the core of this unity is the supreme leader of the

Korean nation Kim Jong Un.

On New Years Day, during his inspection trip to an army unit, Kim Jong Un

expressed his firm resolve to add glory to Songun Korea arm-in-arm and

shoulder-to-shoulder with the service personnel. In the whole course of the

year the DPRK showed a true picture of the single-hearted unity of the Party,

the army and the people around the leader revered by the world.

Arm-in-Arm and Shoulder-to-Shoulder

On New Years Day Kim Jong Un, straight after paying tribute to

Kim Jong Il who lies in state at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, inspected

the Seoul Ryu Kyong Su Guards 105th Tank Division of the KPA. The officers

and men of the tank division greeted him with roaring cheers. His benevolent

image was reminiscent of Kim Il Sung who had acknowledged the soldiers at

the first parade of the KPA held in celebration of the victorious Fatherland

Liberation War. They also felt as if Kim Jong Il were there again to hold them

in his warm embrace.

His confident stride, gentle smile and manner of waving back to the

soldiers were all identical to Kim Il Sungs and Kim Jong Ils.

An emotional scene unfolded during a photo session, eliciting the

admiration of the Korean people as well as the audiences all over the world.

Amid hearty cheers Kim Jong Un posed for a camera, standing arm-in-

arm with the teary-eyed officers on both of his sides and holding their hands in

his. Kim Jong Un and his soldiers were bunched together shoulder-to-

shoulder as if they were combatants preparing for a decisive battle.

Through this impressive scene he was delivering a meaningful message:

Today our service personnel and people have forged ties of comradeship

with the leader and achieved a single-hearted unity around the Party.

We should accomplish by dint of comradeship the revolutionary cause of

Juche, the revolutionary cause of Songun, which was pioneered and has won

victory by dint of comradeship.

Leader Rich in Comrades-in-Arms

In January, picturing in his mind the service personnel and people who

rose up shoulder-to-shoulder from the greatest sorrow over the death of

General Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un said in the following vein:

We are comrades-in-arms who bade last farewell to the fatherly General

in bitter tears on the snowy day of December.

All the service personnel and people who stood in the falling snow to pay

tribute to the General are my comrades-in-arms. In this sense I can be called a

man rich in comrades-in-arms.

We are still short of many things.

We also have many things to do.

But with such a large army of comrades-in-arms, we have nothing to envy

and will always win victory.

Comrades-in-arms share blood and life.

Man rich in comrades-in-arms and man rich in comrades denote that the

leader and the Party, the service personnel and people have achieved unity with

determination to share weal and woe in the same trench and formed an integral

whole with warm comradely affection of devoting ones all for others sake.

These phrases are peculiar to the DPRK where the leader, the Party and the

masses are united with a single mind. It was with such warm love and affection of

sharing life and death that Kim Jong Un called the service personnel and people

his comrades-in-arms and held them in his broad embrace.

Autograph

From the beginning of the year many units, officials, soldiers and working

people of the country wrote letters to Kim Jong Un. In the letters the service

personnel and people expressed their ardent loyalty and unshakeable will to

follow him forever by carrying forward the lineage of Paektu with yearning

for General Kim Jong Il.

They also pledged to implement the Generals instructions without fail by

turning the sorrow over the greatest loss of the nation into strength and courage.

Kim Jong Un read all those letters and autographed them.

On the letter from the Central Committee of the Kim Il Sung Socialist

Youth League he wrote:

The dynamic strides of young people will hasten the prosperity of

tomorrow. Always go straight ahead following the Party!

Kim Jong Un

January 26, 2012

In answer to the letter from the employees of the Sangwon Cement

Complex, he wrote:

The Sangwon Cement Complex should always be the outpost in

supporting our Partys far-reaching cause of building a thriving nation. I

have an invariable and unshakeable belief in you.

Kim Jong Un

March 28, 2012

His replies touched the heartstrings of many units, officials and other Party

members, soldiers, the working people, the youth and students and overseas

compatriots. The autographs embodied his tender affection for the people and

children, which promises a bright future for the nation.

Such exchange of letters will continue, conveying Kim Jong Uns warm

love for his people and the latters admiration and yearning for him that

emanate from the depth of their hearts.

Photographs Taken with the Leader

On March 9 Kim Jong Un posed for a camera with the sailors on board

submarine chaser No. 202.

They surrounded Kim Jong Un with no signs of tension or constraint on

their faces. It seemed there was not an inch of space among themselves, but

the sailors were still edging closer to where he was standing. They were all in

an ecstasy of delight and happiness, seeing him mingling freely with them.

Watching the scene on TV, other service personnel and people felt as if they

were beside him themselves. Kim Jong Un appealed to the entire army and all

the people, who were still grieving over the greatest loss of the nation, to turn

out in the struggle to implement Kim Jong Ils instructions arm-in-arm and

shoulder-to-shoulder with one another.

There are many similar photographs that illustrate Kim Jong Uns trust in

his army and people and the latters loyalty to the former.

To pose for a camera arm-in-arm and hand-in-hand with him is the greatest

honour for the service personnel and people of the country.

Kim Jong Un had a photograph taken with each of the women soldiers

at the Persimmon-Tree Company. The delegates to the celebrations of the

centenary of the birth of Kim Il Sung, couples in the parachuting team of

the Western Area Aviation Club, the attendants at the amusement park in

the Kaeson Youth Park, children at the Pyongyang Kyongsang

Kindergarten, space scientists, and many other soldiers and people had

photographs taken with their leader, weeping and smiling.

To have the honour of posing for a camera with Kim Jong Un has become

an earnest wish of everyone else in Korea.

Cheers

Kim Jong Un delivered his first official speech at the military parade held in

celebration of the centenary of the birth of Kim Il Sung. When it was announced

to the public that he was to make a speech, the masses on the scene raised

thunderous cheers. So did the audience across the country watching the leader on

TV. The mass media of the world reported the news immediately, broadcasting

live the Korean leaders speech. The army and people of the country gave their

leader a standing ovation in reflection of their reverence and happiness.

Right after Koreas liberation, a hot-blooded poet wrote in his paean to

General Kim Il Sung:

Nobody knew that the General was coming,

But everybody knew that he has come.

He is our guiding light that cannot be screened,

And he is our Sun that cannot be veiled.

Kim Jong Un is another great leader who came to the Korean people

without giving much publicity. Everywhere else in the country cheers and

shouts praising the leader ringed out loud.

He was enthusiastically applauded in subsequent social events, and at

army units and workplaces he visited. It would be impossible to force people

to render such an ovation, the expression of their most sincere and purest

respect for their leader. Seeing the people cheering him from the bottom of

their hearts, Kim Jong Un thought of how to make them enjoy benefits of

socialism, and continued on his field guidance trip to make them better off.

A Whistle at Joyang

Early in August heavy rain hit the western coast of the country. The

sudden downpour saw hundreds of millimetres of rain fall in a night,

inflicting dire damages on the area around the Joyang Coal Mine. The

violent flood burst the dam, sweeping over the area. The coal yard was

inundated and the railway section between Kaechon and Joyang was

buried in landslides.

It was heartbreaking to look out over the landscape.

The officials and colliers at the mine were afraid that production might be

suspended at many factories and enterprises because of interrupted coal

supply.

At that time Kim Jong Un inquired in detail about the situation and

ordered the KPA to restore the affected area in the shortest period. Upon

the order of Kim Jong Un several army units marched all night long to the

site.

Before putting up tents the soldiers threw themselves into the restoration

project. In no more than 36 hours from the morning of August 7, when they

buckled down to the project, they disposed of nearly 40 000 m3 of muck, filled

low ground with over 10 000 m3 of earth and laid out the roadbeds. The

officers and men carried on an all-out campaign day and night with a

determination not to withdraw before implementing the order of their

Supreme Commander.

In 50-odd hours after the start of the project, they restored a train station

near the mine as well as the roadbeds, bridges and other structures at dozens of

places in the railway section between Kaechon and Joyang.

Soon train service was reopened, making it possible to transport materials

to various sectors of the national economy.

On August 10 the first train loaded with coal started out of the station.

Amid the loud cheers raised by the service personnel and local people the

train was blowing a whistle. It sounded like the faithful soldiers were

reporting to their Supreme Commander.

All the service personnel and residents were firmly resolved to build a

thriving country without fail by breaking through trials and difficulties on the

strength of single-hearted unity around the leader.

Posing for a Photograph with Officers Wives

On March 9, while inspecting the KPA unit defending Cho Island, a

frontline unit on the West Sea of Korea, Kim Jong Un saw some women

cheering outside the barracks.

The officers wives were stamping their feet after recognizing him from

afar.

He motioned to them to come down. Oblivious that they were in working

clothes, they made a dash to him.

They encircled him, still vying to be nearer to him.

They said with happy tears in their eyes that they had longed to see him.

He posed for a camera with the ordinary women.

VIP Seats Removed

On April 10 Kim Jong Un visited the Peoples Theatre which would be

opened to the public soon. He was satisfied to see the excellent interior of the

theatre.

In the auditorium he walked slowly towards the VIP seats.

He stopped in front of the seats, plunged in deep thought. Gazing round the

officials, he said in a serious voice that in his lifetime Kim Jong Il had not

liked any sort of preferential treatment for him. He added that in the future,

when he was seeing a performance at this theatre, he would sit alongside

citizens.

Later, on major national holidays and other occasions, he enjoyed

performances on an ordinary seat together with workers, scientists,

researchers and other people.

With Barbers

On May Day, during his visit to a machine factory, Kim Jong Un looked

round the Kangsong Health Complex with a satisfied smile, as it was well

equipped with sports and public service facilities and various other amenities,

such as swimming pool, bathhouse, photo studio, restaurant and barber shop.

When he entered the barber shop, the barbers greeted him with loud

applause.

He asked in a gentle voice if they were performing well and what they had

done to improve their skills. One of them answered that they had attended a

short course in Pyongyang. He asked again whether they would not mind if he

dropped in on them to have a haircut on his way to other factories. They were

at a loss for a reply to this unexpected question.

He asked in a plain tone of voice who was the best barber and if she was

willing to cut his hair. Now the barbers vied with one another to serve him.

With a broad smile on his face he promised that he would come again

later and have a haircut there. That day he expressed his expectations

that the attendants at the health complex would serve workers with

devotion.

Against a Natural Calamity

On July 23 a flood hit Jwa-ri in Unsan County, North Phyongan Province.

From the night of the 22nd torrential rains stroke the inland area in the north of the

country. In Unsan County alone, the violent deluge saw 65 mm of rainfall in three

hours at the dawn of the 23rd. Jwa-ri is situated in the upper reaches of the Kuryong

River, a conflux of the tributaries from Mt. Phinandok, Mt. Tongnim and Uhyon Pass.

The river bank collapsing, raging torrents drenched the residential area. Sixty workers

and residents including children and women, who had not evacuated, helped one

another and fought their way against swift muddy streams to a low hill.

They got stuck on the desolate land. They had no means of communications and

gazed hopelessly into the surging current, which was threatening their lives every

minute of the hour. The critical situation was reported to Kim Jong Un, who

immediately took measures to rescue the people. He issued an emergency order to an

air force unit of the KPA. A helicopter took off into the dark clouds and flew towards

the affected area. Despite foul weather and unfavourable conditions for landing,

the crew rescued all the 60 people: The helicopter hovering in the air, the crew

dropped a ladder and descended to reach the victims; they helped them climb up

the ladder and the plane made shuttle flights to save the remaining; some also

risked their lives to rescue six residents who were drifting away.

Saved from the jaws of death, the people shed tears of gratitude and

shouted cheers for Kim Jong Un who arranged for the rescue operation.

A Proposal Turned Down

On the eve of February 16, the birthday of Kim Jong Il, 245 households in

Manpho moved to new dwellings on the bank of the Amnok River. The

houses were built in a modern fashion under the scrupulous care of General

Kim Jong Il and Kim Jong Un.

On his several visits to the city General Kim Jong Il had taken all

necessary measures to spruce it up as befitting a border town. Under

Kim Jong Uns leadership the construction project was completed in a short

period of 80-odd days. The new houses were distributed to workers gratis.

Upon receiving the keys to their houses which were equipped with

everything necessary for living, the locals yearned for General Kim Jong Il

who had made devoted efforts for his peoples well-being to the last moment

of his life. For them, it was heartbreaking to think that his statue was not set up

anywhere in the country. Out of an earnest desire to fulfil their moral

obligations the citizens sent a letter to Kim Jong Un. In the letter they wrote

that they would donate 100 tons of rice, which had been harvested the year

before, for the erection of a statue of General Kim Jong Il.

But Kim Jong Un turned down their proposal in his reply.

He wrote in the letter:

The chief secretary of the Jagang Provincial Party Committee,

The chief secretary of the Manpho City Party Committee,

I have rejoiced at the news that the residents in Manpho were very

pleased to move to new houses which had been constructed under the

care of the General. In the future the officials of the provincial and city

Party committees should make sure that his warm affection would go

down for good along with the new dwellings. They should always pay

meticulous concern to the problem of peoples living and their troubles

and solve them in time. They should also give priority to their interests in

all aspects of their work. In this way they should implement our Partys

people-oriented policies and honour the name of the General forever. I

thank the people in Manpho for proposing to donate 100 tons of white-

polished rice, which they collected with utmost care, for the soldiers who

have been seconded to the erection of a statue of the General.

I am very grateful to them. I accept their sincerity but I decline their

proposal.

I will convey to the great General the sincere devotion with which our

people support their leader maintaining close ties of kinship with him.

I advise that true to the noble intentions of the General who loved his

people and devoted his life entirely to their interests and well-being, the

officials of the provincial and city Party committees apportion the whole

amount of the rice among the local people and their children as a token of

his affection for them.

I believe you will do so without fail.

The letter from the people in Manpho has given me great

encouragement and hardened my determination to redouble my efforts

for the revolution.

Kim Jong Un

February 14, 2012

The residents in Manpho shed tears of gratitude listening to this reply.

Why Have You Come Here? On the early morning of August 17 Kim Jong Un went on a small 27-hp

wooden vessel to KPA units defending islands the hottest spot in the

southernmost part of the southwestern sector of the front.

The soldiers were about to begin their daily routine for combat training

when they saw Kim Jong Un getting down from the small vessel.

The soldiers, as well as the officers families, ran out to greet him.

Some cried Why have you come here? and others shouted Do you have

to come to this dangerous spot?

They had longed to see him day after day, but they wished he would never

come to this hottest spot on the front. The island reeked of gunpowder all the

year round as military drills were raging in the enemy area, a stones throw

from the island.

Later, recalling his trip to the islands on the frontline, he said to the

officials: When I was inspecting other units of the KPA, the soldiers

greeted me saying they were very glad to see me; but those on Jangjae and

Mu islands asked why I had come here; I replied, here you are defending

the country and the Supreme Commander ought to see you here; then all

looked at me in tears.

This is just the bond of genuine affection knitting together Kim Jong Un

and his soldiers and people.

That day he grasped the soldiers hands, asked children what their fathers

were and embraced a 6-month-old baby called Jong Hang Myong.

War clouds still hanging over the frontline area due to the desperate

military provocations of the US and south Korean bellicose forces,

Kim Jong Un was holding a baby in his arms with a sunny smile on

his face.

It was the confident smile of a great guardian.

Motherly Care

On December 26 Kim Jong Un read and autographed a letter from Rim

Kyong Sim, a naturalized citizen of Japanese origin who is resident in

Yonggwang County, South Hamgyong Province.

He wrote in his reply to the woman.

Our Party cares more for those who suffered mental agonies and

gives prominence to them.

Mother worries more about her ailing child than anybody else: she

does her best to allay its pain, even at the cost of her own flesh a