Opinion

One year is like an instant in the long history of mankind. However, during the year 2022, the DPRK has won a remarkable victory to go down in history and the greatest national glory of building up the invincible military might by dint of confidence in sure victory and bringing about a dramatic change in its history, despite the worst-ever trials facing the nation. 

Inexhaustible might of People’s Army

The inexhaustible and tremendous might of the Korean People’s Army is not some kind of cutting-edge military hardware terrifying the hostile forces, but it is attributed to the fact that the entire army is fully charged with the revolutionary idea of the Workers’ Party of Korea and rallied firmly around it.

 The KPA, which is imbued with the Party’s revolutionary ideology and regards safeguarding the Party Central Committee as conscience and obligation, replies with just “yes” to the orders and instructions of the Party and implements them unconditionally.

It is not simply a requirement of military discipline but stems from the faith in that the Party’s ideas and lines are absolutely correct and is based on the demand of life to defend their destiny and future. 

The first guard defending the Party Central Committee with arms, the firm pillar for defending peace that allows the people and future generations to lead happy lives free from the holocaust of war forever and the advance group that leads the march towards the overall development of socialist construction--these are the true features of the People’s Army which is modelled on the WPK.

Therefore, it could powerfully demonstrate the politico-ideological traits peculiar to the People’s Army, which would go through fire and water even at the risk of lives if it is ordered by the Party, throughout this year on the emergency anti-epidemic front in the capital city and in the fields of socialist construction, the military parade in celebration of the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army and several rounds of military drills conducted under the direct guidance of General Secretary Kim Jong Un. 

According to a special order of the WPK Central Military Commission for immediately committing the powerful forces of the military medical field of the People’s Army to the supply of medicines in Pyongyang to control and stabilize the pandemic crisis which could be called the greatest turmoil in the history of the country, the combatants in the military medical sector offered 24-hour service at all pharmacies even though their physical and mental fatigue reached the extremes and some of them were heartbroken as they heard about family tragedies and family members being in critical conditions.

They had not just supplied medicines at the pharmacies but called at households in need of medicines despite the hot weather and struggled day and night to ensure convenience and accuracy in the supply of medicines among the people. 

Some of them were suffering from protracted illnesses and laid down their lives during the course of devotion.

The self-sacrificing traits of the medics who unhesitatingly donated blood to resuscitate patients on the brink of death, gave out food supplied to them and invigorants good for restoration to local residents and even delivered a baby in the pharmacy are still cherished in the hearts of Pyongyang citizens. 

The valiant spirit and mettle of the KPA was clearly demonstrated in the construction of a large-scale greenhouse farm in Ryonpho which the WPK set forth as the primary task of this year and in the work for opening up a new heyday of capital city construction. 

The soldier builders who were involved in the construction of the Ryonpho Greenhouse Farm and the 10 000 flats in the Hwasong area of Pyongyang displayed the spirit of devoted service to the country and people as well as the clear conscience and heartfelt sincerity of soldiers in all construction processes, details and unseen structures with the mindset that they are building homes for their own parents and brothers and sisters. 

Braving strong winds and torrential rains and even the malignant epidemic, they built an ideal communist village in the Ryonpho area on the eastern coast of the country which was covered in sand dust.

Especially, thanks to the soldier builders’ determination to translate into reality the desire of the WPK to build ideal streets of the people and thriving streets symbolic of socialism epitomizing modern civilization as soon as possible and give them to the people, the Pothong Riverside Terraced Houses District in Kyongru-dong and Songhwa Street were completed and the Hwasong area has taken a new magnificent shape. 

The KPA’s absolute loyalty to the Party is not merely a manifestation of its obligation to carry out orders but a reflection of the unique ideological and spiritual property of the army which understands the thinking of the Party better than any others and never hesitates in following its intentions. 

Military exercises in real war format and retaliatory operations 

In 2022, the DPRK demonstrated to the whole world the dignity and absolute might as a military power. 

Under the pretext of coping with the DPRK’s legalization of the state policy on nuclear forces, the US agreed to further strengthen the extended deterrence on south Korea and sent the nuclear aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan strike group into the waters of the Korean peninsula on September 23 as the first measure and conducted military drills consecutively from September 26 to October 8, aggravating the tension in the region. 

Especially, they staged the US-south Korea combined aerial drill Vigilant Storm on the largest scale ever with the involvement of hundreds of combat planes including nuclear strategic bombers between October 31 and November 5. 

Given that the reckless military confrontational move of the US and other hostile forces that were persistently driving the military and political situation of the peninsula to a danger line reached beyond the limit which cannot be overlooked, the DPRK had to go towards substantial acceleration of the enhancement of its overwhelming nuclear deterrent and show the toughest retaliatory spirit of the WPK and the DPRK government more clearly with practical actions. 

In late September, the WPK Central Military Commission discussed the political and military situation created in the Korean peninsula and its prospect and decided to organize military exercises in real war format on various levels to send a powerful warning of military counteractions to the enemies. 

According to the decision, the DPRK’s armed forces staged intensive drills of units for the operation of tactical nukes, flying corps and long-range artillery sub-units on the front.

Later, the KPA General Staff conducted military operations of counteraction including a large-scale all-out combat sortie operation of the air force between November 2 and 5.

As it legalized the state policy on nuclear forces, the DPRK declared to the world that its nukes cannot be confined to the single mission of war deterrent but be used for a powerful nuclear preemptive strike in case an unavoidable situation is created, and substantiated it with real military actions. 

The launching drills of the tactical nuclear operation units displayed to the full the actuality of the DPRK’s nuclear combat forces and their militant effectiveness and actual war capabilities, which are fully ready to hit and wipe out the set targets at the intended places in the set time.

The military exercises and operations proved that any aggressive move would be futile and the hostile forces cannot but hopelessly suffer in the face of the DPRK’s tremendous military might with the nuclear forces as the backbone. 

New-generation Juche-based weapons 

Even with the severe national crisis in 2022, defence scientists of the DPRK performed miracles of successively developing Juche-based weapons of a new generation that would help firmly maintain the military and technical edge of the revolutionary armed forces and reliably safeguard peace and security. 

The Juche weapons, which were developed this year according to the strategic plan of the WPK, including hypersonic missile, new-type ICBM Hwasongpho-17 and long-range strategic cruise missile demonstrated accuracy and technical advantages of the overall weapon systems and perfect combat effectiveness. 

The weapon systems with world-class mightiness were developed in succession at a remarkably fast rate, while the nuclear strike means were diversified and their operational ranges were extended. 

The successes in the test launch of hypersonic missile, the inspection firing drill of the mobile railway missile regiment of North Phyongan Province, test-fires for updating long-range cruise missile system and for confirming the power of conventional warhead for surface-to-surface tactical guided missile in January, test launch of ICBM Hwasongpho-17 in March, test-fire of a new-type tactical guided weapon in April, ballistic missile launching drill under the simulation of loading tactical nuclear warheads at a silo under a reservoir in September and test launch of long-range strategic cruise missile in October showed that they can strike enemies at any place and time, for any purpose and in any mode. 

On November 18, under the guidance of the respected General Secretary, the new-type ICBM Hwasongpho-17 soared into the sky again demonstrating the great power of the DPRK. 

It is a clear display of the DPRK’s unshakeable and tough will to counter nukes with nuclear weapons and head-on confrontation with all-out confrontation

The recent success in the static firing test of high-thrust solid-fuel motor with a thrust of 140tf provided a sure scientific and technical guarantee for the development of another new-type strategic weapon system and solved another important problem in carrying out the five priority tasks facing the strategic weapon field under the five-year plan for the development of defence science and weapon systems set forth by the Eighth Party Congress.

The new-generation Juche-based weapons are the DPRK’s strategic power and war deterrent which have been further perfected and strengthened to be able to defend the security and future of the country and the people firmly.