opinion

February 8 is the 77th founding anniversary of the Korean People's Army.

The greatest feat shining in the long heroic course of the KPA is that it has firmly protected the sovereignty and dignity of the DPRK and its people from the imperialists' military threat and blackmail and the danger of war and ensured peace and stability, true to its original mission of defending sovereignty.

It was the KPA that performed the military miracle in the 20th century of defeating the arrogant US imperialist aggressors in the Fatherland Liberation War (June 25 1950-July 27 1953).

Lots of military miracles it worked during the war are still on every Korean’s lips like legends. In particular, the KPA beat off the enemy's armed invasion through an immediate counterattack, occupied the enemy's capital in 72 hours after the war broke out, destroyed the Smith-led special attack unit, sank the enemy's heavy cruiser Baltimore with only four torpedo boats, damaged a light cruiser, held up the enemy’s landing on Inchon as many as three days with only four artillery pieces, although the enemy mobilized 50 000 troops and a large number of warships and aircraft in the landing operation, and won the battle to liberate Taejon which is recorded in history as a stunning example of modern siege warfare.

The history of victory of the KPA has continued as it has resolutely frustrated the enemy's moves for aggression to defend the sovereignty of the country and the safety of the people with honour.

Over the past seven decades the enemy has persistently clung to lots of moves, big or small, to spark another war of aggression, but the KPA has driven the provocateurs into the abyss of ruin on the principle of power for power and head-on contest, while responding to nukes and frontal confrontation in kind.

The KPA was not only loyal to the mission of defending sovereignty and the people in the confrontation with the enemy.

There are also the pages of gigantic creation and construction for the country and the people in the brilliant annals of the armed forces of the DPRK that have staunchly defended national security and sovereignty.

In the long course from the day when the postwar reconstruction began up to now, socialist construction has been a primary revolutionary task of the KPA, which is as important as the defence of national sovereignty, and has never been diminished or postponed even under grave and stressful situations.

The KPA service personnel have left their footprints in all parts of the country where the sound of development and creation rang out, including the iron and steel production bases and coal and ore mines, which constitute the foundations of the national economy, railways and roads that are the arteries of the country, and farm fields and reclaimed tidelands for enriching the people’s life.

The spirits of the times, which will remain in the history of the country forever, and the monumental structures set up on the strength of these spirits have all been created by the KPA.

Even at present, the KPA is taking the lead in the gigantic struggle for the construction of dwelling houses for the people and for regional development.

That is why the Korean people celebrate the founding anniversary of the KPA as their holiday in splendour.

Bearing deep in mind the great expectations of the Workers’ Party of Korea, the leader and the people, the KPA service personnel will safeguard the inviolable sovereignty of the DPRK and the honour of its people and bring earlier the overall development of a prosperous and powerful country.