Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un Makes Significant Speech at Banquet for Celebrating KPA Birthday

Pyongyang, February 8 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, made a passionate speech at a banquet for celebrating the 75th founding anniversary of the Korean People's Army (KPA) on February 7.

The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un said:

Comrade generals, commanding officers of the heroic Korean People's Army present in this significant place,

Today is the 75th birthday of our army.

At this moment when I recollect the proud history of the People's Army which has written an epic of glorious tradition, brilliant victory and honor in the long course of struggle spanning 27 395 days since the day when its birth was welcomed with cheers, I am haunted by the unforgettable names and images of the service personnel of the preceding generations who devoted themselves to defending the vigorous advance of the ever-victorious Korean revolution and boosting the invincibility and mightiness of our state.

I am also haunted by the images of all the servicepersons of the KPA firmly standing at frontline, border and other posts and socialist construction sites to defend the eternal prosperity of the motherland and the well-being and happiness of the people even this evening and at this moment of glory.

Upon authorization by our Party and government, I pay high tribute to the anti-Japanese revolutionary forerunners who provided the origin of the tradition of victory immortal in the history of the hard-fought struggle of the revolutionary armed forces, and to the fallen fighters of the People's Army, the respected veterans and the army commanding officers of the preceding generations who passed away.

I also extend warm congratulations to all the officers and men of the KPA and the armed forces of the DPRK through you, commanding officers and generals at all levels present here.

My best wishes and heartfelt thanks also go to all the people and officers' wives who have absolutely supported and encouraged our Party's line of building a powerful army and its defence policy, put forward their beloved husbands and children to national defence and devoted themselves to strengthening the defence capabilities of the country.

The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un said that there is no such a heroic and patriotic army remaining faithful to its cause as the KPA in the world and everybody knows its devotion to defending the Korean revolution without any vacillation despite the harsh challenges, hoping that the officers and men of the KPA who has always gone to the trouble of overcoming hardships will celebrate their holiday justly, proudly, honorably and significantly amid the blessings by all the people even today, the Day of Army Founding.

He further said:

Comrade generals and the officers and men of the People's Army,

What kind of force drives the unprecedentedly arduous Korean revolution and what makes our state invincible and how is our ideal and future shaped.

The most veritable answer to this and the fairest appreciation by history are found in the 75-year-long history of our army.

The more we look back on how our revolutionary cause is defended, how our Party's idea and lines are safeguarded and how our national flag has fluttered at the peak of honor, the more we value the noble blood shed by our army officers and men for victory and their endless feats.

In the initial period after its founding, our army clarified its original mission of sharing the same destiny with the Party and started a long bloody journey to remain faithful to it. This has become a fundamental factor in making our history of army building be one that can never be separated from the history of struggle of the Party, the revolution, the country and the people and in enabling the 75-year-long history of our army to be recorded in the grandest way.

A history of righteous strength was made on this land, proving through a hard-won victory the truth that the dignity and honor are only given to the strong and the validity of the revolutionary cause is verified only through victory, and independence and self-sufficiency are only guaranteed by self-reliance in defence.

The KPA is the army of the Party, the army of the people, the army of the government and the army of the class which defends and realizes everything the dearest and most urgent to our destiny and future, and the army that bears hardships before anyone else and is ready to make sacrifices. These are the precious names that our People's Army has won at the cost of blood and lives and that should be maintained through centuries and generations.

What we value more than anything else and are fully proud of today is the fact that the baton of the revolutionary army of the Party, the history and tradition of loyalty, has been steadily carried forward.

Even under the harsh circumstances as now, our army is demonstrating its inexhaustible strength as the armed forces of the Workers' Party of Korea and the vanguard of the class. This is from A to Z attributable to the fact that the red soul, the noble mission, the staunch revolutionary spirit and the fighting spirit of death-defying resistance possessed by the first generation of the revolutionary armed forces with arms have remained unchanged even today when its fifth and sixth generations have appeared.

The highest honor of the 75-year-long history of our People’s Army lies in the great succession which continues staunchly and vigorously despite the passage of time and the storms of history.

I am quite sure that though the commanding officers and soldiers of the new generation, comprising up the main force of our revolutionary armed forces, have experienced neither a grim revolutionary war nor a difficult period of the revolution, they inherited the absolute loyalty peculiar to our People’s Army and the characteristics of the preceding generations that shed blood and sweat and sacrifice themselves without hesitation, if the revolution calls for it.

Our servicepersons have fought vigorously not only in frontline combat positions where they confront with the enemy directly but also in all parts of the country where legendary victories and miracles are made, and the red military colors associated with their loyalty and patriotic traditions have been fluttered there.

Whenever I watch our servicepersons fighting like phoenix with the might of will surpassing their mental and physical limitations in the theaters of defending the national rights and the people and those of epoch-making creation, I take off my hat to their feature.

As our army takes a noble view of life that there is only the honor on the road of sharing the same destiny with the Party and carrying out its orders, I have thought of our army when the situation of the country is difficult and entrusted it with greater tasks of struggle, and our army has never hesitated to respond to the Party’s call.

When I am determined to share the same destiny with our army, feeling the greatest honor of being the supreme commander who leads such a fine army, I feel the greatest delight.

Lots of changes have been made and the appearance of our army has changed beyond recognition for a long period since its early days, but the look of our faithful army, which always stands firmly in the van of the revolution, come rain or shine, and shoulders the heavy burden that no one can dare, remains unchanged.

Its succeeding as well as its pioneering were so great that our army could be able to win the fulfilling call of the times and history as the strongest army in the world.

Kim Jong Un said that our army's gallant, dignified, strong and tough look is a trait peculiar to it grounded in the special pride and strong self-respect that its life is devoted to the greatest sacred cause and its arms serve the most just cause in the world, and the display of an irresistible might unique to our army that comes from the extraordinary sense of responsibility and superhuman will that it can neither be broken nor collapse until it has fulfilled the duty entrusted by the Party Central Committee.

Noting that the appearance of our state growing tougher and stronger in the face of hardships and ordeals is a mirror of the fighting army and the names of heroic service personnel shine along with the peak dignity of our people, he said with pride that there are hundreds of countries and not a few armies boasting of their long history and traditions in the world, but it is only the KPA that shares life and death with the Party, the country and the people, adds to their prestige and greatness and defends their high honor and rosy future in the whole course of its development.

He declared that the DPRK has finally cultivated the great and absolute strength, getting over untold pain and suffering for the sake of eternal peace, genuine prosperity and development on this land and for the good of posterity.

He said that the KPA should brave trials as always, holding higher the slogans "Let the People's Army take charge of both national defence and socialist construction!" and "When the Party is determined, we can do anything!"

He went on to say:

I never doubt that you will be as brave as always, dedicating your lives to the eternal prosperity of the country and the wellbeing of the people, true to the letters written on the glorious military colors.

Affirming that I will always share life and death, weal and woe with you, I entrust you and our People's Army with the forefront of the revolution.

I wish all of you good health and hope that you will become commanding officers making selfless and devoted efforts for the good of our soldiers.

I entrust you with our service members.

Let us all redouble efforts and work harder to strengthen and develop our army and to achieve the prosperity and development of our socialist country.

Let us hope, with our hands on our hearts, that the wellbeing of the people and the country's peace will be promoted in proportion to the efforts made by the People's Army.

I'd like to propose a toast to the health of army celebrities here and to the health of the officers and men of the entire army, to the glory of the People's Army and to the eternity of its great honor.

Long Live the Korean People's Army, the ever-victorious hero army!

Report on 6th Enlarged Plenary Meeting of 8th WPK Central Committee

The vigorous development of the sacred Korean revolution pioneered and advancing with the most just mission and far-reaching ideal is firmly guaranteed by the wise guidance of the Workers' Party of Korea which sets forth scientific path and clear practical strategy at each period and at every stage and leads to thorough and perfect implementation.

Our Party members, working people and service personnel have honorably defended the year 2022 full of all the unprecedented challenges and threats with the indomitable spirit and perseverance peculiar to the great Korean people under the militant banner of the ever-victorious WPK. They are recollecting with great pride and self-confidence the days when they have overcome the most difficult hardships with stubborn wisdom in the gigantic course for a comprehensive development of socialist construction.

In 2022 filled with manifold trials, our Party and people and have waged a heroic struggle to defend the validity of their cause and their dignity and honor, thus powerfully demonstrating the potentiality of the DPRK, its spirit and the staunch character of the Korean revolution. And through the process of making remarkable and meaningful progress, they came to believe their own strength more firmly, find out the main links of changes more clearly and map out the road of overall development more vividly.

Under the present situation of aspiring after a new advance after successfully overcoming the dangerous and urgent difficulties decisive of the existence of the state, the Korean revolution has persistently faced unavoidable obstacles which can be overcome only by the correct and seasoned leadership of the WPK and the united, powerful and courageous struggle of the Korean people.

The Sixth Enlarged Plenary Meeting of the Eighth Central Committee of the WPK was held at the office building of the Party Central Committee, the supreme headquarters of the revolution, from December 26 to 31, Juche 111 (2022) to clarify the positive and scientific policy orientation for dynamically leading the Korean-style socialism to a fresh change and development by thoroughly applying the idea of independence, self-sustenance and self-reliance, the invariable guidelines of the Korean revolution.

Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the WPK, was present at the plenary meeting.

When Kim Jong Un appeared at the platform, stormy cheers of "Hurrah!" broke out in the meeting hall.

All the participants extended the highest glory to Kim Jong Un, the great leader of our Party and revolution and the banner of all honor and victories of our state and people, who has confidently led the socialist cause to radical overall development while ushering in a heyday of strengthening the whole Party with his transparent idea of independence and distinguished leadership activities, holding fast to the helm of the Juche revolution.

Present there were members of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the WPK Central Committee, members and alternate members of the Political Bureau of the WPK Central Committee and members and alternate members of the WPK Central Committee. Officials of the departments of the Party Central Committee and leading officials of ministries, national institutions, provincial level leadership bodies and cities and counties and major industrial establishments were present as observers.

The presidium of the meeting was elected with members of the Political Bureau of the Party Central Committee.

The Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the WPK authorized Kim Jong Un to preside over the meeting.

Kim Jong Un appreciated that the WPK has pushed ahead with socialist construction more dynamically and extensively by further increasing the enthusiasm of the whole Party and all the people for struggle, while overcoming the difficulties and hardship equivalent to the ten-year struggle since the 8th Congress of the WPK. He said it is the most precious experience that in the course the WPK correctly grasped the peculiarities of the internal and external environment of the Korean revolution and confirmed our revolutionary principle, methodology and orientation of advance.

He said that the plenary meeting should serve as an occasion for opening a wide avenue for the development of the state and giving the people greater confidence and optimism by clarifying the path of new leap forward and mapping out the most correct and effective strategy on the basis of the experience, lessons and substantial advance accumulated through the stubborn struggle in 2022.

Stressing the need for the members of the leadership body of the Party Central Committee to display a high sense of responsibility and activeness to this end, he declared the 6th Plenary Meeting of the 8th Party Central Committee open.

The plenary meeting put the following matters on its agenda items:

1.    On review of the implementation of major Party and state policies in 2022 and the work plan for 2023

2.    Organizational matter

3.    On the fulfillment of the state budget for 2022 and the draft state budget for 2023

4.    On strengthening the Party guidance over the revolutionary schools

5.    On the five-point line of party building in the new era

The plenary meeting unanimously approved the agenda items.

The plenary meeting discussed the first agenda item "On review of the implementation of major Party and state policies in 2022 and the work plan for 2023".

Kim Jong Un made a report on the first agenda item.

In his report he appreciated the successes made in 2022 in which our Party and people have made steady and powerful progress while waging an arduous struggle in firm unity.

The remarkable successes and progress have been made in the activities of our Party and its self-strengthening.

The Party Central Committee directed the general orientation of the Party activities to the thorough implementation of the decisions of the Fourth and Fifth plenary meetings of the Eighth Party Central Committee, and powerfully guided the whole Party and all the people to continuous advance and development with its initiative and superb leadership practice in the face of the sudden and severe changes in internal and external situation. It also further refined its leadership ability by thoroughly maintaining its leadership traits of responding courageously and promptly, and developed the united might of the revolutionary ranks onto a remarkably high level.

Substantial measures were taken to reinforce the key links in strengthening the Party work throughout the Party and a theory of party building in the new era guaranteeing the eternal future of the Party was established, providing a powerful weapon for the rosy development of the Party.

The DPRK's policy on its nuclear force was officially legalized at the most appropriate and crucial time to provide an eternal security guarantee and make the world clearly recognize the strategic position of the DPRK. The settlement of this historic task is a demonstration of the WPK's transparent stand of independence and idea of self-defence, and it has greater significance than any political event in view of steering the change of the world political structure and in view of having put the track of the state development on a new high level.

The report analyzed and evaluated the dramatic changes made in strengthening the defence capabilities and in the struggle against the enemy.

It is high pride of our Party, government and people to have made the DPRK's great power more certain and built up matchlessly strong military muscle by waging a strenuous struggle for bolstering up the defence capabilities.

The WPK's basic principle of defending the national interests and raising the national prestige was successfully implemented, despite the trend of the eventful and changeful international political situation, thus dealing a severe blow at the U.S. imperialists' high-handed and arbitrary practices and policy toward the DPRK in line with the Party's strategic plan and resolution.

The report reviewed the signal achievements made in the economic construction and the cultural construction.

Splendid successes symbolizing the struggle of the year 2022 have been made in the construction of the Hwasong and Ryonpho areas, which were the most important tasks in the field of construction, and projects of weighty significance in the economic growth and the improvement of the people's livelihood were completed.

The drive for implementing the new programme for rural revolution started dynamically, model houses representing the new era of rural development were built in cities and counties across the country and the brisk work was launched to improve the economic management and raise the country's ability to cope with crisis and the country's level of civilization.

2022 was a time which was by no means meaningless and we have made clear advance, the General Secretary said, adding that certain successes made in all the work of the Party and the state are a praiseworthy victory won only by our great people who have displayed the spirit of self-reliance and fortitude and the creativity while stoutly enduring the grave national crises, and the immortal feats to remain in the history of the country forever.

He extended warm thanks on behalf of the Party Central Committee to all the Party members and other people across the country for having resolutely defended and implemented the Party policies through the most powerful and courageous struggle unprecedented in history to demonstrate the honor, dignity and prestige of the state before the whole world and glorify the year 2022 as a year of important milestone in opening a new surging phase of our revolution.

Saying that the year 2023, in which we have to carry out the tasks for the third year of key significance in implementing the five-year plan set forth by the 8th Congress of the Party and mark the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Fatherland Liberation War and the 75th birthday of the Republic, is an important year in the course of our socialist development and the history of the DPRK, he set it as the general direction of the new year's work to further expand and develop the all-people struggle for opening a new phase in socialist construction and thus provide a decisive guarantee for the fulfillment of the five-year plan.

He stressed the need to make 2023 a year of great turn and change to be remarkably recorded in the development course of the DPRK by redoubling the fighting spirit displayed in 2022 and making all efforts to attain this year's goal and fulfill the new long-term tasks.

The General Secretary indicated all the tasks for ensuring stable development of the national economy and bringing about a substantial change in the improvement of the people's living standard.

The report defined the year 2023, which faces the higher goals and huge tasks for fulfilling the five-year plan for national economic development, as a year of making a big stride in the development of the national economy, a year of attaining the goals of key importance in the growth of production, the implementation of readjustment and reinforcement strategy and the improvement of the people's living standard, and set it as the main task of economic work to mainly complete the plan for readjustment and reinforcement decided by the Party Congress while pepping up production in all sectors and units.

The General Secretary said that the WPK has made strenuous efforts to thoroughly embody the idea of self-sustenance laid down by President Kim Il Sung and eliminate defeatism and mysticism about technology in the whole course of socialist construction since the foundation of the state. He reprimanded that however, the tendency of such old idea still remains among some economic officials as incurable and indigenous diseases with clever disguise.

The plenary meeting dealt a resolute and heavy blow to the outdated idea of trying to bargain the principle of self-reliance, not abandoning dependence on the technology of others, and recognized that it is necessary to continue the struggle to wipe out all the remnants of wrong ideas which are obstructing our work under the pretense of objective circumstances.

The General Secretary ardently and militantly called upon the workers, scientists and technicians in core sectors for the successful development of the national economy to overcome the difficulties facing the revolution by their own efforts, holding high the fighting spirit and banner of the 1960s and 70s once again.

The report set as the main targets the economic indices and 12 major goals to be attained by all sectors of the national economy in the new year and specified the ways for attaining them. It stressed the need to focus the operation and guidance on making the fulfillment of the plan for 2023 lead to the implementation of the medium- and long-term strategy for economic development.

Setting the housing construction, a revolution that brings about epochal changes and a project greatly favored by the people, as the first major policy task, the report underlined the importance to build a new street composing of 3 700 flats along with the construction of 10 000 flats of the second stage in the Hwasong area by conducting the capital city construction in a bolder way in the third year of the construction of 50 000 flats in Pyongyang City. It also stressed the need to direct greater efforts to the rural construction on the basis of the experience accumulated in the year 2022.

The report raised it as a policy task to bring about a substantial change in the people's living which the Party attaches most importance to and is pushing forward with much effort, and detailed the important tasks and ways to which the agricultural sector should give priority.

It called for finding a realistic and rational work system and method and unconditionally carrying them out in light industry, regional industry, public service, fishery, urban management and other sectors directly related to the people's living so that the policies of the Party and state can reach the people correctly.

The report stressed the need to thoroughly adhere to the Party's principle of attaching importance to and prioritizing science and technology, clearly understanding the importance of science and technology playing a locomotive role in developing the national economy and improving the people's living standard, and set forth the orientation of innovation to raise the country's scientific and technological level to a new higher stage.

It dealt with the principles and ways to amplify the successes and experience gained in education, public health and all other fields for developing socialist culture in the course of the struggle of the year 2022 and to overcome deviations.

The General Secretary stressed the need to actively organize and properly guide the socialist patriotic movement, the revolutionary mass movement which is the powerful driving force for prosperity and development of the state.

Saying that primary attention should be paid to firmly adhering to and inheriting the tradition of loyalty peculiar to the Korean revolution and the tradition of patriotism peculiar to our state and the revolution should be advanced by dint of loyalty and patriotism, he clarified the principled issues for the Party and working people's organizations to actively organize and conduct various popular patriotic movements.

The report clarified the crucial policy resolution on giving spurs to strengthening the self-reliant defence capabilities, on the basis of the analysis of the present situation of the inter-Korean relations and the external challenges seriously threatening the regional peace and security.

The U.S. and other hostile forces have recently been hit hard by the rapid development of the military muscle of the DPRK and its promulgation of the nuclear law peerless in the world. Though seized with fear and uneasiness due to the DPRK's toughest counteraction, they are now keen on the extreme moves to isolate and stifle the DPRK, the atrocious and desperate moves unprecedented in human history.

In 2022 the U.S. frequently deployed various nuclear strike means in south Korea at the level of constant deployment, increasing the level of military pressure on the DPRK to the maximum.  And, at the same time, it is pushing forward the realization of triangular cooperation with Japan and south Korea on a full scale while working hard to establish a new military bloc like Asian version of NATO under the signboard of "strengthened alliance".

Under the pretext of coping with any "threat", south Korea is hell-bent on imprudent and dangerous arms buildup while busying itself with hostile military moves to pose a confrontational challenge.

The prevailing situation calls for making redoubled efforts to overwhelmingly beef up the military muscle to thoroughly guarantee the sovereignty, security and fundamental interests of the Republic in response to the worrying military moves by the U.S. and other hostile forces precisely targeting the DPRK.

Stressing the importance of bolstering the nuclear force, the report made clear that our nuclear force considers it as the first mission to deter war and safeguard peace and stability and, however, if it fails to deter, it will carry out the second mission, which will not be for defence.

Under the strategy and plan for strengthened nuclear force of the WPK and the DPRK government to firmly safeguard the country's absolute dignity, sovereignty and right to existence, a task was raised to develop another ICBM system whose main mission is quick nuclear counterstrike.

Now that the south Korean puppet forces, who designated the DPRK as their "principal enemy" and openly trumpet about "preparations for war", have assumed our undoubted enemy, the present situation highlights the importance and necessity of mass-producing tactical nuclear weapons and calls for an exponential increase of the country's nuclear arsenal, the report said, clarifying the epochal strategy of the development of nuclear force and national defence for 2023 with this as a main orientation.

The National Aerospace Development Administration will launch the first military satellite of the DPRK at the earliest date possible by pushing ahead with the full preparation for a reconnaissance satellite and its vehicle in progress at the final stage, the report pointed out.

The report raised it as a major task to boost the politico-ideological and military technical strength of the People's Army, the main force of the national defence capabilities.

In accordance with the army-building orientations clarified at the 8th Congress and major meetings of the Party, it is necessary to make the year 2023 marking the 70th anniversary of the victory in the great Fatherland Liberation War and the 60th anniversary of advancement of the slogan "A-match-for-a-hundred" a year of strengthening the politico-ideological might of the DPRK's armed forces in every way and a year of bringing about a turn in making war preparations and enhancing the actual war capacity.

The report highly appreciated the devoted efforts and feats by the workers, scientists and officials in the munitions industry who have creditably carried out the major national defence policy-oriented tasks set forth by the WPK through the whole year's super-intense drive for production and scientific research, and laid down next year's goals of developing and producing weapons and equipment.

The report made clear the main tasks faced by the sectors in charge of affairs with the south and foreign affairs on the basis of the analysis of the external circumstances of the Korean revolution.

As the structure of international relations has been apparently shifted to a "new Cold War" system and a push for multipolarization is further expedited, the report stressed the principles of external work to be thoroughly adhered to by the WPK and the DPRK government to raise the national prestige, defend the national rights and interests and protect the regional peace and security.

Notably, the report clarified the detailed orientations of responding to the U.S. and other enemies on shifting to the actual action of more reliably and surely cementing our physical force on the principle of struggle against the enemy - might for might, frontal match. And it sounded a note of warning against those countries which started joining the U.S. with its partnership strategy to deprive the DPRK of its sacred dignity and sovereignty.

The General Secretary in his report mentioned the important issues arising in solidifying and developing our state and social system and giving play to its advantages and might.

When the socialist legal system has been further improved and strengthened, the original features of our social system as the genuine people's country where the law defends the people and the people observe the law can be preserved, Party policies and state policies can be properly implemented and the purity of the revolutionary ranks and the consolidation of Korean-style socialism can be defended and maintained.

Raised in the report were the principled issues arising in readjusting the state management structure system in a profitable way and in improving the work attitude and style of officials as required by the changing and developing circumstances and the intensified struggle for socialist construction.

The General Secretary indicated important items, orientations of improvement and principled issues for preserving and solidifying the political climate peculiar to the Party and substantially guaranteeing the prospective development of the Party by boosting the combat efficiency of Party organizations at all levels and improving the Party work and personnel management in a fundamental manner.

A change should be made in the work of all the Party organizations and officials and, in particular, the provincial Party committees, the political staff of relevant regions and their chief secretaries.

The General Secretary concluded his three-day report, warmly appealing to the leading officials, who are fully responsible for the work of all fields of the revolution and the destiny of Party policies, to make decisive progress in carrying out their duties to live up to the trust and expectations of the Party and the people with their high sense of loyalty and devoted service at the most critical and responsible time in the history of the development of the Republic and thus powerfully demonstrate to the world how the WPK shouldering the destiny of the country and the people overcomes trials and advance towards a greater victory through new year's struggle.

All the participants expressed full support and approval with a big clap to the report which proudly reviewed the all-people struggle of 2022 that made brilliant achievements in the spirit of fortitude and clearly indicated our advance orientations and keys to making a leap forward under the changing revolutionary situation.

The General Secretary's passionate report full of the confidence in victory and will to shape the future of socialist construction in our own way and by our own efforts from A to Z serves as an undying militant banner that makes it possible to further boost the great and inexhaustible strength of single-minded unity between the Party and the people and vigorously achieve the substantial development and change for national prosperity with its absolute power and through courageous and prudent struggle.

The plenary meeting heard the propositions put by Premier of the Cabinet Kim Tok Hun on the measures for improving the overall state affairs, including the economic field. And there were speeches or written speeches by leading officials of various sectors.

Based on the idea and spirit of the General Secretary's important report, two-day sectional study and consultative meetings took place to establish, in a scientific and detailed way, a thoroughgoing and correct plan for carrying out the next year's colossal struggle tasks.

Senior party and government officials guided the sectional study and consultative meetings.

The Political Bureau of the Party Central Committee finally deliberated the opinions on the draft decision, examined the deliberation of the draft state budget for the new year and discussed the issue of taking important measures for the development of major sectors of the national economy.

The plenary meeting unanimously adopted a decision on the first agenda item.

The plenary meeting discussed the organizational matter as the second agenda item.

Members and alternate members of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) Central Committee were recalled and by-elected.

Jon Sung Guk, Kim Tu Il, Song Yong Gon and Pak Song Chol were by-elected as members of the C.C., WPK from alternate members and Pang Tu Sop, Choe Chol Ung, Pak Myong Son, Ri Yong Sik, Paek Song Guk, Kim Yong Su, Kim Yong Hwan, Ri Ho Rim, Ho Chol Yong, Yu Jin, Sin Ki Chol, Kim Sang Gon and Ri Hye Jong as members of the C.C., WPK.

By-elected as alternate members of the C.C., WPK were Kim Yong Sik, Thae Hyong Chol, Kim Chang Sok, Jo Sok Chol, Jong Yong Nam, Ri Song Bom, Kim Phyong Hyon, Won Kyong Mo, Sin Song Guk, An Sung Hak, Ho Chol Ho, Song Myong Hun, Pae Song Guk, Kim Kum Chol, O Chol Su, Choe Son Il, Kim Son Guk, Jang Se Il, Ri Kyong Il, Jon In Chol, Kim Tu Hong, Pak In Gi, Yu Chol U, Kim Song Chol, Choe Tu Yong and Ryang Kil Song.

Recalled and by-elected were members and alternate members of the Political Bureau of the C.C., WPK.

Pak Su Il was by-elected as member of the Political Bureau of the C.C., WPK and Ju Chang Il, Ri Hi Yong, Kim Su Gil, Kim Sang Gon and Kang Sun Nam as alternate members of the Political Bureau of the C.C., WPK.

Dismissed and elected were secretaries of the C.C., WPK.

Pak Jong Chon was dismissed and Ri Yong Gil was elected as secretary of the C.C., WPK.

Recalled and by-elected were vice-chairmen of the WPK Central Military Commission.

Pak Jong Chon was recalled and Ri Yong Gil was by-elected as vice-chairman of the WPK Central Military Commission.

Recalled and by-elected were vice-chairmen of the WPK Central Inspection Commission.

Kim Sang Gon was by-elected as vice-chairman of the WPK Central Inspection Commission.

Dismissed and appointed were department directors and first vice department director of the C.C., WPK.

O Il Jong, Kim Sang Gon, Kim Yong Su and Ri Hye Jong were appointed as department directors of the C.C., WPK, and Kim Yong Sik as first vice department director of the C.C., WPK.

Dismissed and appointed were chief secretaries of provincial Party committees.

Kim Su Gil was appointed as chief secretary of the Pyongyang City Committee of the WPK, Pak Thae Dok as chief secretary of the South Hwanghae Provincial Committee of the WPK and Paek Song Guk as chief secretary of the Kangwon Provincial Committee of the WPK.

Dismissed and appointed were cadres of government organs.

Kim Chol Ha was appointed as minister of Chemical Industry, Kim Chang Sok as minister of Light Industry, Jo Sok Chol as chairman of the Quality Control Commission and Ri Yong Sik as director of the Political Bureau of the Cabinet and concurrently chief secretary of its Party committee.

Dismissed and appointed were some commanding officers of the armed forces organs.

Pak Su Il was appointed as the chief of the Korean People's Army General Staff, Kang Sun Nam as minister of National Defence of the DPRK and Ri Thae Sop as minister of Public Security.

In the debate on the third agenda item, the plenary meeting finally deliberated the fulfillment of the state budget for 2022 and the draft state budget for 2023, examined and submitted by the state budget assessment group, and approved to bring them to the 8th Session of the 14th Supreme People’s Assembly.

The plenary meeting discussed the fourth agenda item "On strengthening the Party guidance over the revolutionary schools" and unanimously approved a relevant decision.

The plenary meeting discussed the fifth agenda item "On the five-point line of party building in the new era".

Kim Jong Un made a report on the fifth agenda item.

It is an important issue for our Party, which has covered a long ruling course of nearly 80 years with its important mission to be responsible for the destiny and future of the Korean people, to provide powerful guidelines for firmly preserving its revolutionary character and nature and remarkably enhancing its leading and vanguard role on the basis of directly facing up to the changes of the times and examining the Party's reality.

The idea and theory of Party building in the new era, originally advanced by the General Secretary, include the revolutionary essence, content and valuable experience of the building of organization, ideology and leadership art which have been accumulated historically, and suggested and scientifically settled urgent problems arising in the practice of Party work. So, they won full support and approval of the Party officials and members in a few months after their announcement.

The work was executed to newly frame a theoretical system on the Party building with political, organizational, ideological, disciplinary and work-style building and enrich and regularize its contents.

In particular, the struggle to open up a new era of strengthening the whole Party provided a solid springboard for steadily and stably developing the party building, including the overall and detailed refinement of the fighting capabilities of the Party organizations at all levels and the intensification of the political awareness and role of the party officials and members.

It is a reliable force and a solid foundation for strengthening the party that the WPK has its organizations and millions of members striving to establish a sound and clear political climate, rallied close around its Central Committee organizationally and ideologically and in moral obligation, and tens of millions of people have absolutely trusted it as the ever-victorious guide and the great mother, following it in one mind.

It is appropriate and mature in terms of condition and time to define the five-point orientation for party building in the new era as the WPK's line as it reflects the new requirements of the developing revolution and its inheritance has been confirmed in the historical course and its feasibility proven in a scientific and objective way.

Expressing the belief that the WPK would be able to constantly maintain and strengthen its character and nature and fully discharge its sacred mission and duty for the people forever if the five-point orientation based on the theory of party building in the new era is defined as the WPK's line on party building, the General Secretary courteously proposed to the plenary meeting to formally define the party building orientation in the new era comprehending the will of the whole Party as the WPK's line.

A decision on adopting the five-point orientation based on the General Secretary's unique idea and theory of party building as the WPK's line of party building in the new era was adopted with unanimous applause.

Kim Jong Un made a concluding speech.

Our struggle is an unprecedented great cause of not only enduring the difficulties facing it and maintaining itself but advancing toward new changes and development, the overall development of socialist construction.

In the new year, too, our struggle will face trials and difficulties which are not easy to overcome, but we should vigorously advance towards a new horizon of development of the state with firm confidence in our cause and faith in our own strength.

We will resolutely tide over every challenge and difficulty facing us by our own efforts and accelerate the advance into a new era as planned, decided and scheduled by us, not by any fortunes or help from outside.

The General Secretary declared the plenary meeting closed, expressing firm belief that its decisions would lead to steady implementation and substantial changes and a new heyday of development of the Party and the revolution would be ushered in forever thanks to the high party spirit, revolutionary spirit and devotion of all the participants.

All the participants broke into stormy cheers, looking up to the General Secretary of the dignified WPK who opened up a broad avenue for strengthening of the whole Party and national prosperity and has vigorously guided the work with his rare ideo-theoretical wisdom, seasoned leadership art and tireless devotion, and made a firm pledge to always remain loyal to the Party Central Committee on the road of the revolution while hardening their faith and will to courageously brave any ordeals for the great state and people in the future, too.

The Sixth Plenary Meeting of the Eighth Central Committee of the WPK, which fully demonstrated the mature leadership ability of our Party confidently leading the socialist cause of Korean style and added fresh courage and vigour to the dynamic advance of our state steadily going along the road chosen by itself and to the indomitable fighting spirit of our people, will shine long in the sacred history of the Juche revolution as a significant occasion that made an important turning point special to the victorious course of the Korean revolution.

Congratulations on the 77th founding anniversary of glorious Worker's Party of Korea

Declaration of Kim Jong Un

The speech made by Chairman Kim Jong Un of the Workers’ Party of Korea made
at the military parade held in celebration of its 75  founding anniversary is attracting the attention of the world.
It can be said that it has three meanings. 
First, it is the declaration that none of the Korean population has fallen victim to the malignant virus.
The achievements of Kim Jong Un, who defended the security of the people and the state amid the world health crisis will be recorded in history. But he said that the credit goes to the people.
All the people were moved when he said: I thank them for being healthy free from disease; the fact that we have defended all our people from the harmful epidemic disease sweeping the whole world can be said to be a natural duty and success of our Party;
however, I am moved by this success, and as I see their healthy appearance, I can find no word other than thanks; today’s victory that is striking the world with admiration is a great victory achieved by our people themselves. 
The Second, it is the declaration that he will remain faithful to his people’s trust. 
In the speech, he noted: Our people have always believed and absolutely trusted me, and supported my choice and determination, whatever it is; such ardent and sincere trust and encouragement is the most valuable wealth for me, which cannot be bartered for any
fame and millions of tons of gold, and inexhaustible strength which encourages me to have no fear and know no impossibility; I solemnly swear once again in this place that I will live up to the people’s trust without fail even if my body is torn and crushed to pieces on the way of defending their great trust and that I will remain faithful to that
trust.  
Third, it is a solemn declaration that no other country can provoke the DPRK. 
It is reflected in these sentences: Our military capability is changing in the rate of its growth and in its quality and quantity in our own style and in accordance with our demands and our timetable; our war deterrent, which is intended to defend the rights to independence and existence of our state and safeguard peace in the region, will never be abused or used as a means for preemptive strike; but, if, and if, any forces infringe upon the security of our state and attempt to have recourse to military force against us, I will
enlist all our most powerful offensive strength in advance to punish them. 
The state-of-the-art strategic weapons displayed on the venue of the military parade clearly showed the weight of his declaration. 

Demonstration of Unity and Faith

The events held in Pyongyang, the capital city of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, in celebration of the 75  founding anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, were beyond the imagination of the peoples of the world in their contents and
scale.
The elite army units and state-of-the art weapons that went past Kim Il Sung Square were surprising, but all the more surprising were the orderly procession of hundreds of thousands of civilians and the torchlight procession of young people and their enthusiastic cheers. 

There are many political parties in the world and they have their own supporters, but none of them celebrate their founding anniversary as enthusiastically as the DPRK does. 
This gives a glimpse of the single-hearted unity of all the people around the WPK. 
The 75-year history of WPK has made the Korean people feel that its policies are all aimed at bringing welfare to them.
The WPK has raised them as masters of their destiny, as masters of the state and society. Universal free medical care and free compulsory education are in force, houses built at state expense are provided to the people free of charge, and other people-oriented
policies are administered. The WPK advanced the target of building the country into a powerful socialist one, translating the people’s dreams and ideals into reality.
The celebration events demonstrated the people’s will to follow the WPK to the end of the earth. 

All the victories and successes achieved by the DPRK over the past 75 years are fruition born of the WPK’s leadership. Under its leadership the Korean people carried out the historic task of socialist industrialization in only 14 years. In the harshest period of the end of the last century, they not only defended socialism but also laid down new economic foundations as demanded by the 21st century under the banner of Songun raised by the WPK, and launched into building theirs into a powerful socialist country. In the course of braving manifold challenges of history, they have cherished the faith that
they will always emerge victorious as long as they are led by the WPK.
The international community has felt the unity and faith of the Korean people while seeing these celebration events, which no others can imitate or concoct.

The DPRK’s Strength 

Seeing the events held in celebration of the 75 founding anniversary of the Workers’ Party of Korea enjoying the attention of the world, the international community was struck with admiration. 
What was worth seeing were the columns of units of arms, services and corps, columns of tanks, self-propelled guns of various calibres and multiple-rocket launchers.
But what attracted the world’s attention more were the columns of the Strategic Force;
the ICBMs and other state-of-the-art strategic weapons, being carried on various types of military vehicles, made the people feel again the strong military capability of the country.
It was not the only strength of the DPRK the world people felt.
They were struck with wonder as they saw the people and service personnel who raised cheers in tears and shouted in chorus the slogan, "Let us defend Kim Jong Un at the cost of our lives" for their leader at the celebration events, the procession of young people who marched with torches in their hands brightening the sky over Pyongyang with the determination to follow only the WPK, and the magic-like, ever-changing scenes displayed by tens of thousands of students at the background of the grand mass gymnastics and artistic performance.
No one can see people−young and old, men and women−who worship their leader and support only one party so ardently.
This single-hearted unity of the leader, the Party and the people is a “special weapon” of the DPRK, which no other country or no other party can imitate or invent.
By dint of this might, the WPK has achieved only victory and glory over the past 75 years. Undaunted by the manifold challenges and hardships, the Korean people are now advancing along the only road of building a powerful socialist country under the wise leadership of the WPK.
The world realized once again that no one can provoke the DPRK and nothing can check its advance.

DIU and Kim Il Sung

In the middle of the 1920s, the imperialists’ colonial enslavement policy toward other countries and nations was at its height.
Almost all the countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America were reduced to their colonies.
The Korean people were suffering under the colonial yoke as their country was occupied militarily by Japan (1905-1945).
The Japanese imperialists, while rearranging their colonial ruling machinery in order to stamp out the anti-Japanese struggle of the Korean people, enacted and enforced various evil laws such as the Maintenance of Public Order Act.
Meanwhile, the Korean communist movement and national liberation struggle were experiencing complicated difficulties.
At this time, Kim Il Sung (1912-1994) embarked on the road of revolutionary struggle to save his country and fellow people.
It was 1926.
The innocent psychology of young Kim Il Sung, who had just been awakened to social consciousness, encountered agony and anguish.
In those days the nationalist movement was existing, and a socialist movement was on the rise.
After making an analysis of these two social movements, he came to a conclusion that national liberation could never be achieved by fighting without any correct political slogans and without relying on the strength of the masses.
He believed that in order for the Korean revolution to be developed in a fresh way, it should be carried out independently through the efforts of all the people of the country. 
Noteworthy is that Kim Il Sung had struck others with wonder by dint of his extraordinary personality and intelligent insight into social phenomena from his early age.
A man who was teaching at Fusong Primary School No. 1 recollected,
“As the days went by, we felt Kim Song Ju (Kim Il Sung’s childhood name) was not an ordinary person though he was young.
“At that time, he was not only a pupil with intelligence and integrity but also a political activist with a high ambition and political view.
“To be frank, he was better than us teachers in understanding and analysing things.”
In order to realize his long-conceived plan for forming a militant and 
revolutionary organization, he convened a preparatory meeting at Hwasong Uisuk School in Huadian, northeast China.
Young revolutionaries sharing the same will as his attended the meeting.
At the meeting he clarified the necessity of the revolutionary organization and its mission, name and character, fighting programme and the regulations of its activity.
All the participants unanimously supported his proposal.
On October 17, 1926, a week later, he founded the Down-with-Imperialism Union (DIU).
As its name implies, it was an organization for overthrowing imperialism in general.
The immediate task of the DIU was to defeat Japanese imperialism and achieve the liberation and independence of Korea, and its final objective was to build socialism and communism in Korea and, further, destroy all imperialism and build communism throughout the world.
A Short History of Korean Revolutionary Movement Overseas, a book
published in Seoul after Korea’s liberation, reads:
“Expectations of Kim Il Sung were high and the activities of these
organizations were brisk.
“The support of the public for Kim Il Sung, a man of passion and justice, was great.
“It was more than support… Kim Il Sung, a boy revolutionary, enjoyed the undivided love from the people as their beloved son or younger brother, and he made a pledge to serve them in good faith.
“He always breathed the same air with the people and his comrades, too, found themselves among the people.
“Firmly based on the masses, he struggled to remove various existing social maladies so as to awaken them and enhance their awareness and took measures to gradually reform various fields of society.
“He focused on the elimination of remnants of persistent feudalism, resolution of dispute between native landlords and Korean tenants, development of peasants’ knowledge and movements of youth and women and recorded a remarkable success in this effort.”
The Korean revolution which dawned with the formation of the DIU started to develop in full steam under the leadership of Kim Il Sung.
Kim Il Sung liberated Korea and built a people’s country through a
20-year-long anti-Japanese revolutionary struggle and consolidated the country into a people-centred socialist state by leading his people to win one victory after another in its decades-long confrontation with imperialist allied forces including the Korean war (1950-1953).
The history of the Korean revolution can be said to be the one in which the fighting programme of the DIU was realized. The significance of the DIU in the Korean revolution is profound, indeed.
This year is a meaningful year which marks the 95 anniversary of the formation of the DIU. 

Congratulations on the Auspicious Occasion of the Day of Shining Star 79th Birthday of Great leader Comrade Kim Jong Il

LET US BRILLIANTLY ACCOMPLISH THE REVOLU- TIONARY CAUSE OF JUCHE, HOLDING KIM JONG IL IN HIGH ESTEEM AS THE ETERNAL GENERAL SECRETARY OF OUR PARTY

As we approach the significant

                 

Keeping in mind that the President and the General are always with us and are encouraging us, we should redouble our efforts to realize their plans and desires with credit and glorify the new century of the Juche revolution as an era of victory and glory.

For the present, when we are about to hold the Party conference and various other events to celebrate the centenary of the birth of the President, we should scrupulously organize the work to ensure that they are a success. In addition, we should pay close attention to ensuring that our people enjoy themselves on the Day of the Sun in a meaningful way, and make detailed arrangements for it.

6th Political Bureau Meeting of 8th C.C., WPK Held

Pyongyang, January 20 (KCNA) -- The Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) convened its 6th Meeting of the 8th Central Committee at the office building of the Party Central Committee on January 19 to discuss and decide immediate work and important policy issues of the Party and the state.

Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the WPK, was present at the meeting.

Attending the meeting were members of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the C.C., WPK and members and alternate members of the Political Bureau of the Party Central Committee.

The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un presided over the meeting.

The meeting first discussed the issue of celebrating with splendor the 110th birth anniversary of President Kim Il Sung and the 80th birth anniversary of Chairman Kim Jong Il (the Day of the Sun and the Day of the Shining Star).

To most auspiciously and significantly celebrate the Day of the Sun and the Day of the Shining Star this significant year is the bounden duty and moral obligation of the descendents of the President and the soldiers and disciples of the Chairman and also the boundless honor and pride of our people who have struggled, remaining faithful to the cause of the President and the Chairman.

No holidays are more significant than the Day of the Sun and the Day of the Shining Star for our Party and people struggling to carry forward and accomplish the revolutionary cause of the President and the Chairman under the uplifted banner of great Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism. The very existence of our dignified Party and state is unthinkable without the immortal exploits left by the President and the Chairman in the glorious course of the Korean revolution.

The meeting called for making the Day of the Sun and the Day of the Shining Star this historic year important political occasions of further cementing the firm faith of our people to carry forward and accomplish the revolutionary cause of Juche pioneered and led by the President and the Chairman under the guidance of the Party to the end, and also of demonstrating before the world the high enthusiasm and revolutionary mettle of all the Party members and other people to glorify the decade of Juche 110 as the annals of victors bringing about the overall development of our style socialism.

The Political Bureau of the Party Central Committee gave detailed assignments to the organs of the Party and the state to celebrate with splendor the 110th birth anniversary of the President and the 80th birth anniversary of the Chairman as the great festivals of victory and glory to shine long in the annals of the country.

The meeting adopted a resolution of the Political Bureau of the WPK Central Committee "On celebrating with splendor the 110th birth anniversary of the Great Leader Comrade Kim Il Sung and the 80th birth anniversary of the Great Leader Comrade Kim Jong Il".

The meeting heard a report analyzing the current situation around the Korean peninsula and a series of international issues and discussed the orientation for countermeasures against the U.S. for the future.

Also communicated to the participants were the U.S. recent moves of recklessly faulting for no reason the DPRK's legitimate exercise of sovereignty.

In the last few years alone after the DPRK-U.S. summits the U.S. held hundreds of joint war drills which it committed itself to stop and conducted tests of all kinds of strategic weapons, while shipping ultra-modern attack means into south Korea and nuclear strategic weapons into the region around the Korean peninsula, seriously threatening the security of our state.

The U.S. viciously slurred our state and committed the foolish act of taking over 20 independent sanctions measures. Especially the present U.S. administration persists in maneuvers to deprive the DPRK of its right to self-defence.

All the facts clearly prove once again that the hostile policy towards the DPRK will exist in the future, too as long as there is the hostile entity of U.S. imperialism.

Assessing that the hostile policy and military threat by the U.S. have reached a danger line that can not be overlooked any more despite our sincere efforts for maintaining the general tide for relaxation of tension in the Korean peninsula since the DPRK-U.S. summit in Singapore, the Political Bureau of the Party Central Committee unanimously recognized that we should make more thorough preparation for a long-term confrontation with the U.S. imperialism. It concluded to take a practical action to more reliably and effectively increase our physical strength for defending the dignity, sovereign rights and interests of our state.

The meeting of the Political Bureau reassigned the policy tasks for the national defence to immediately bolster more powerful physical means which can efficiently control the hostile moves of the U.S. against the DPRK getting ever more serious day by day. It gave an instruction to a sector concerned to reconsider in an overall scale the trust-building measures that we took on our own initiative on a preferential ground and to promptly examine the issue of restarting all temporarily-suspended activities.

The decision of the meeting is a timely and rightful step for reliably guaranteeing the existence and sovereign rights of our state in view of the urgent requirements of the developing revolution and under the prevailing situation.

The meeting fully demonstrated the revolutionary will and indomitable spirit of the WPK to uphold President Kim Il Sung and Chairman Kim Jong Il, who are the eternal sun of Juche and sacred image of socialist Korea, in high esteem forever and to build an independent and dignified powerful country on this land without fail.

Let Us Strive for Our Great State's Prosperity and Development and Our People's Wellbeing

Report on 4th Plenary Meeting of 8th C.C., WPK

Pyongyang, January 1 (KCNA) -- The 4th Plenary Meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) was held at the office building of the Party Central Committee on December 27-31, Juche 110(2021) to review a great year of struggle and lay down a new guideline on development amid the great interest and expectation of all the Party members and people across the country.

The plenary meeting was convened in the historic period when the entire Party, the whole country and all the people confidently move toward the next stage struggle for the overall development of socialist construction after adorning the first year of implementing the five-year plan with praiseworthy victory true to the grand strategic idea and practical programme set forth at the 8th Congress of the Party.

The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the WPK, was present at the plenary meeting.

As Kim Jong Un appeared at the meeting hall to mount the platform, all the participants broke into enthusiastic cheers for the respected General Secretary, the outstanding leader of our Party and people and the symbol of the mightiness of our state who set a new goal for victory of socialism with his extraordinary ideological and theoretical wisdom and laid a firm foundation for prosperity of the country through his energetic leadership activities all the year.

Attending the plenary meeting were members and alternate members of the WPK Central Committee.

And officials of the departments of the Party Central Committee, leading officials of ministries, national institutions, province-level guidance organs, cities, counties and major industrial establishments and officials of relevant major sectors were present as observers.

The meeting presidium was formed with members of the Political Bureau of the Party Central Committee.

The Political Bureau of the Party Central Committee authorized Kim Jong Un to preside over the plenary meeting.

Kim Jong Un made an analysis and appraisal of the Party Central Committee on the Party and state work for 2021, the first year for implementing the decisions of the historic 8th Congress of the Party, referring to the main purpose of the convocation of the plenary meeting, its significance and importance.

Saying that in fulfilling the five-year plan for development and change set forth at the Party Congress, the work done year after year holds vital and important significance both in the light of the developmental stage of socialist construction and the realistic conditions and situation of our Party and state, the General Secretary noted that through the plenary meeting we all will face heavy yet responsible agony while becoming aware of the strategic importance of the next year's work which will just be as huge and important as this year's.

The General Secretary said that this year's struggle endowed us with more clear predictability about subjective and objective conditions and environment of the revolution at present and in the future, adding that therefore, we came to know what we can do and to have clear vision about our possibility and self-confidence.

He said that only when we correctly understand and judge the present external and internal situation and make a right stride along the correct orientation with accurate fighting policies, can we move to the next stage with a practical change for development.

Noting that at the point of reviewing the year's work with pride, we should first analyze with subtlety what could be lessons, he said that the main purpose of the convocation of the plenary meeting is to make some lessons learned by us an engine further supplementing and completing the revolutionary policies and raise our bigger potentiality for development. He added that herein lies the great practical significance of revolutionary development.

The Party Central Committee admitted that this year's successes and experiences should actively be promoted and amplified as they represent precious lessons and the devoted efforts and as they require full display of unusual responsibility and strenuous efforts, and that the overall development of socialist construction should be hastened with greater successes and victory by discharging heavy responsibility and generating maximum creativity in discussing the plan for the new year.

The plenary meeting dealt with the following agenda items:

1. On the review of the execution of major Party and state policies for 2021 and the work plan for 2022

2. On the implementation of the state budget for 2021 and the draft state budget for 2022

3. On the immediate tasks for the correct solution of the socialist rural question in our country

4. On modifying some articles of the Party rules

5. On the organizational and ideological life of the members of the Party central leadership organ in the second half of year 2021

6. An organizational matter

The plenary meeting unanimously approved the presented agenda items.

It listened to a report made by Kim Tok Hun, member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and premier of the Cabinet of the DPRK, and discussions made in the sectional workshops over the first agenda item.

General Secretary Kim Jong Un made an important conclusion "On the Orientation of the Work of the Party and State in 2022" on the first agenda item.

He first analyzed and reviewed the work of the Party and the state in the first year for implementing the decisions made at the Party's Congress.

It is the general assessment of the Party Central Committee that 2021, in which all the Korean people waged tense and worthwhile struggle true to the new practical programme of socialist construction set forth at the Party Congress, is a year of great victory that opened up a prelude to the great change toward the overall development of socialist construction despite severe trials.

It was the general goal and desire of the Party Central Committee in its work for this year to bring about practical changes and substantial achievements waited for and welcomed by the people by fulfilling the tasks set forth at the 2nd Plenary Meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Party without fail.

When assigning and propelling the work for this year, the Party Central Committee paid special attention to ensuring the purposefulness of development, perseverance and scientific accuracy in working out the plan and establishing the trait of unconditionally, thoroughly and correctly implementing it, and awakened officials to exert themselves and took measures for solving pending problems in developing the economy and improving the people's living standard in time.

Achievements worthy appraisal and evident stride forward hardening self-confidence were made in the agricultural field to which the Party gives top priority.

What is important is that we became confident in doing safe farming under any condition by adopting scientific methods of responsively reacting to disastrous climates and obstacles though they used to decide good or bad crop, and this is the valuable fruition the credit of which is to the rare patriotism and indomitable efforts of our agricultural workers.

Kim Jong Un courteously proposed to the plenary meeting sending thanks in the name of the Party Central Committee to the exemplary agricultural officials, workers, scientists and technologists who greatly contributed to doing farming well despite the unfavorable conditions this year.

The plenary meeting fully supported and approved his proposal.

The main success the Party Central Committee presented to the people this year is that it greatly demonstrated the development and potential power of our style socialism making a leap forward by dynamically pushing ahead with huge construction projects planned by it.

The construction of 10 000 flats in the areas of Songsin and Songhwa nearing completion as another massive residential area is the first eye-opening event that showed in actuality the prospect for the perfect settlement of housing problem in the capital city in the period of five-year plan.

The completion of the third-stage Samjiyon City project produced an ideal and valid experience for confidently pushing ahead with the long-term grand construction to transform local areas across the country.

The construction of 5 000 dwelling houses in the area of Komdok made successful headway, the rehabilitation from flood damage was satisfactorily conducted in South Hamgyong Province and North Hamgyong Province and new architectural shapes were introduced and new ideas were created in lots of projects including the construction of modern terraced residential district. This indicated that our architecture has leapt one step higher and the era of great prosperity in construction keeps flourishing.

The electric power and coal industrial sectors responsible for supplying power to the national economy conducted an effective production campaign to powerfully haul the overall economy. The building materials industrial field and machine, mining, forestry, land and marine transport and railway transport fields supported the nationwide construction and production surge. All these mean an improvement of one step forward in implementing the plan for this year.

Plan discipline was established in the economic field and leading economic officials have shown obvious improvement in their work style. This becomes a powerful guarantee for further advancing the economy and the state affairs in the future.

The mentality and awareness of all the people desirous of socialist life and development has grown stronger than before, fully displaying the might of collectivism in practice.

The Party Central Committee assessed that the tendency to bring about fresh innovation, bold creation and steady progress was vividly manifested in the work for this year and a turn was effected in establishing the Party traits like strengthening the organizational discipline of the Party and carrying out the Party's decisions.

The economic guidance organs including the Cabinet have become active in the attempts to strengthen the unified guidance and control of the state over economic work and improve the economic management methods. The work for perfecting the socialist legal system was further intensified and the legal order was strengthened to bring substantial progress in guaranteeing the economic development and the stabilization of people's living.

The national defense industrial sector developed one ultra-modern weapon system after another under its correct plan, thus demonstrating the advancement and modernity of our military force. This is one of the very important achievements made this year.

This year when the Party congress was held, many young people volunteered to work in difficult and labor-consuming fields and did good deeds, which moved the people. It is a remarkable political success that the spirit of young people became very high.

Praising this year's successes, the Party Central Committee estimated that ways of stabilizing the economy and subsisting by dint of self-reliance defying extremely severe environment have been positively found out and applied and that it is progress made in the economic development and this process precisely means the dynamic advance of the Korean-style socialism towards the comprehensive development of the state.

The General Secretary said that great praiseworthy achievements were made in this year's work as all the people turned out as one with the zeal of loyalty to resolutely defend the authority of the Party congress and dedicated their patriotic sweat to the implementation of the tasks for the first year of the five-year plan, overcoming all the difficulties. He, on behalf of the Party Central Committee, highly praised all the Party members, working people and the service personnel for making indomitable and implacable efforts to glorify 2021 as a year of proud victory to be specially recorded in the history of socialist construction, and sent warm greetings to them.

The conclusion referred in detail to the shortcomings and important lessons revealed in this year's work and the ways for settling them.

Indicating the main orientation of the work of the Party and the state for 2022, the General Secretary clarified the principled issues and the struggle policy for a fresh development of socialist construction.

The main task facing our Party and people next year is to provide a sure guarantee for the implementation of the five-year plan and bring about a remarkable change in the state development and the people's standard of living so as to record a noteworthy page in the history of the country.

The economic sector, the main front of socialist construction, should concentrate all its efforts on putting the country's economy on the growth orbit and providing the stabilized and improved living to the people by reenergizing the production and pushing ahead with the adjustment and improvement.

The conclusion expounded in detail the major policy tasks that should be carried out by the key industrial sectors next year.

The metallurgical industrial sector should technologically refine the Korean-style iron-producing method, produce iron and steel as scheduled by supplying fuel and raw materials in time and, at the same time, push ahead with the expansion of capacity and modernization.

The chemical industrial sector should give full play to the newly-created fertilizer production capacity and boost the production of materials for the light industry and the pharmaceutical industry by reenergizing major chemical factories, while accelerating the project to establish a new structure of the chemical industry.

The power industrial sector should strive to raise the electric-power production to the high level while satisfactorily meeting the immediate demand for the electric power. And it should reduce the loss of power in transmission, step up the building of new power stations and increase the capacity of generating electricity by diverse natural energy.

The coal industrial sector should give precedence to the prospecting and continue waging a high-speed tunneling campaign to find more coalfields. And it should increase the coal production by introducing the advanced mining methods and machines and pay attention to helping the bituminous coal mines increase the production.

The railway transport sector should enhance the security of railway, accelerate its modernization and establish the state's unified system of controlling the overall transport so as to develop the country's transport work by stages.

The machine-building industrial sector should responsibly provide the equipment needed for implementing the adjustment and improvement plans of several economic sectors and units and boost the production of vehicles, electric machines and construction machines and improve their quality.

The conclusion advanced an important task for making radical progress in solving the food, clothing and housing problem for the people.

The entire Party and the whole country should concentrate efforts on the farming and give manpower and material support to the rural communities. And the agricultural sector should increase the grain production by doing all the farm works in a sci-tech way and positively use farming machines now that the area to grow wheat and barley has been expanded.

In the economic work, capital construction should be prioritized and new construction revolution for fundamentally changing the living environments of the people should be made so as to continue to usher in the heyday of the capital city construction including the building of 10 000 flats planned for 2022 and open an era when the local areas will change.

The light industrial sector should set it as an important task to reenergize the production of consumer goods and push ahead with it. And it should put the foodstuff processing technology on a higher scientific basis.

Saying that the supply of school uniforms and things to the students across the country at the state's expense is a consistent policy of the Party and the state, the General Secretary set forth a task for supplying all the students with quality uniforms and bags of new forms without exception and took an important measure of the Party Central Committee for implementing it.

He stressed the need for the fishing industrial sector to conduct a work for catching more fish, do fish breeding and culture well and increase marine resources in an effective way to better the people's diet.

Mentioned in the conclusion were tasks for the mining industry, forestry, IT industry and other sectors to make positive contributions to the national economic development by practically advancing their work.

The land administration and city management sectors should push ahead with afforestation, river improvement and anti-land-sliding projects the year round, aiming at thoroughly protecting lives and properties of the people and the land of the country. They should push forward under plan the work to ensure security and modernity of roads, protect and improve the ecological environment and create green landscape in streets and villages.

The conclusion referred in detail to the tasks for powerfully propelling the work to adjust and reinforce the material and technical foundations of the national economy.

And it underlined the issues of strengthening the function and role of the Cabinet as an economic organizer, intensifying the work to improve the planning method and putting the economic activities on a regular and standardized footing.

It set forth important tasks for promoting the overall development of socialist construction by making innovation in the work of the field of culture including science, education and public health.

At present, a major task facing the field of science is to clearly specify the scientific and technical measure for developing the overall affairs of the country including the economy in a balanced and simultaneous way.

Scientific and research units should select as their main tasks the development and completion of technologies having an urgent significance in enhancing independence of the state economy and improving the standard of people's living, and all the sectors and units should give precedence to the training of their own scientific and technological forces before production and construction.

The educational sector should set it as the main objective of educational revolution in the new century to train all the school children as genuine revolutionary talents, competent and creative talents and reserves of socialism by developing our education into the most advanced and ideal one for the future.

For this, it is necessary to further strengthen the meritocratic educational system and train a large number of good scientific and technological talents who can be core and traction engine in several fields including the economy and the national defence, strengthen the ranks of teachers in local areas and farm villages in a qualitative and quantitative way and push forward the work to modernize the educational conditions and environment so as to put the overall educational level of the country on a higher level.

The main direction of the public health for next year should be set as providing a sure guarantee for further raising the quality of the medical service for the people, and all efforts should be concentrated on further strengthening the material and technical foundations of the public health sector.

The literature and art field should bring about fundamental innovation in the ideological viewpoint, creation attitude and creation method of the creators and artistes, thoroughly maintain the principle of ensuring the political identity and characteristics of the era in the literary and art activities and make an effort to train the new generation reserves of literary persons and artistes to make them play the main role in the creation activities.

The conclusion referred to the principled issues to be maintained in media and sports fields and underlined the need to aspire after bold pursuit and dynamic leap to progress toward the advanced level.

Noting that the noble and highly-civilized life style and moral traits based on collectivism serve as foundation of our style socialism and powerful vitamins for its advance and development, the General Secretary said that the fine virtues and noble traits peculiar to our people being fully displayed day by day should be made social and national customs.

The conclusion stressed once again that the emergency epidemic prevention work should be made a top priority in the state work and it is the most important work to be powerfully conducted with no allowance given to slight slackness, pores and drawback.

The work should be positively pushed forward for reinforcing and completing the means and forces needed for switching our epidemic prevention into advanced and people-oriented one by surely putting the country's foundation of epidemic prevention on a scientific foundation and firmly preparing the material and technological foundation of the epidemic prevention sector.

The conclusion referred to the tasks for further positively conducting the struggle against anti-socialist and non-socialist practices in the entire Party and the whole country and society, thoroughly ensuring the social order and people's safety by raising the role of law enforcement organs, establishing the revolutionary atmosphere of law observance and further strengthening the socialist law system.

The General Secretary set forth militant tasks facing the national defence sector.

The military environment of the Korean peninsula and the trend of the international situation getting instable day after day demand that bolstering the state defence capability be further powerfully propelled without a moment's delay.

The People's Army should steadily intensify the work of modeling the whole army on the revolutionary idea of the Party Central Committee and developing it into the revolutionary army of the Party that remains faithful and obedient to the guidance of the Party Central Committee, and direct all efforts to maintaining the training-first principle and putting weapons and equipment on a regular readiness and establishing the firm military discipline.

The munitions industrial field should dynamically push ahead with the production of the powerful equipment corresponding with the modern warfare while steadily expanding the achievements true to the decisions made at the 8th Party Congress, powerfully fuel the change of quality of the national defence capacity and attain the goal of putting the defence industry on a Juche, modern and scientific basis in a planned way.

It is necessary to take a decisive measure for bolstering the capability of the militia defence force as required by the modern warfare, and increase the military qualifications and commanding capability of the commanding officers of the Worker-Peasant Red Guards and the practical ability of the militia force by effecting drastic turn in the training.

The conclusion set forth principled issues and a series of tactical orientation, all of which should be maintained by the sectors of the north-south relations and external affairs to cope with the rapidly changing international political situation and the circumstances in the surroundings.

It also advanced the tasks for strengthening the Party, the general staff of the revolution, and steadily enhancing its leading role in order to successfully carry out the important tasks for a fresh victory of socialist construction.

The important issue arising at present in improving the leadership and fighting efficiency of the Party in every way is to steadily improve the Party work and make the entire Party a studying one so as to turn it into a living organism sharing the idea, intention and action with the Party Central Committee and decisively raise the level and ability of the Party officials.

The whole party should wage a major ideological battle against formalism in Party work, thoroughly establish the revolutionary discipline within the Party and make the ranks of cadres pure and steadfast.

The Party organizations should direct their efforts to thoroughly implementing the economic policy of the Party and the plans of the national economy, and the leading officials of the Party should set forth the plans to give their units and local areas a complete facelift and purposefully, consciously and steadily push forward with the implementation of the plans.

Saying that the struggle in 2022 is a great life-and-death struggle to be vigorously waged successfully for sure for the overall development of socialist construction, our great people and beloved posterity, the General Secretary affirmed that as there are the great people who are possessed of firm faith and strong power to overcome all difficulties by rallying around the Party in one mind and precious experiences with which great successes were made in the spirit of self-reliance despite such harsh situation as this year, our Party and people will achieve a proud victory once again.

Finishing the concluding speech, he ardently called upon the entire Party and all the people to vigorously accelerate the overall development of the socialist construction by putting spurs to the spirit of courageous advance, and thus make the next year a year of great revolutionary event to be significantly recorded in the history of the country and another watershed in the great struggle advancing toward the bright future.

With thunderous cheers of "Hurrah!" and loud applauses all the participants expressed absolute support and approval for Kim Jong Un's important concluding speech which will serve as a guiding fighting policy leading Korean-style socialist construction to the next stage of victory and a practical weapon of advance and innovation.

Kim Jong Un's concluding speech is a precious practical programme and an invincible militant banner encouraging the struggle for 2022 for bringing earlier the overall development of the Korean-style socialism and the happiness of the people as it reviewed with pride the year 2021 in which the Party Congress was held as a year of proud victory to be specially recorded in the history of prosperity of the country and indicated a new guideline for bringing about prosperity of the country.

In discussing the second agenda item, the plenary meeting had final examination of the implementation of the state budget for 2021 and the draft state budget for 2022 which were examined and suggested by a state budget assessment group. And it approved to present it to the 6th Session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) of the DPRK.

The meeting discussed the third agenda item "On the Immediate Tasks for the Correct Solution of the Socialist Rural Question in Our Country".

Kim Jong Un made a historic report "Let us open up a new great era of our style socialist rural development".

Reviewing the policy of our Party that attached importance to the rural question from the first period of its founding and the historic path for its materialization, the General Secretary clarified the importance and significance of the proper solution to the socialist rural question at present.

To make drastic change of the rural communities today when it presents itself as a mature requirement to wage the struggle for the overall development of socialism becomes a very important revolutionary task in turning around the rigorous situation in favor of increasing the driving force of our own and achieving prosperity and development of the country and welfare of the people.

It is for this reason that the 8th Party Congress set forth the strategic policy to arm the agricultural workers with the Party's policies and turn the rural communities into affluent and cultured socialist ones possessed of modern technology and civilization.

The General Secretary clarified the goal of socialist rural construction and the major task at present, calling for putting the country's agriculture on a definite upward stage and opening up a new great era of effecting drastic development of our style socialist countryside by pushing forward the rural development under the uplifted slogan of "For New Victory of Socialist Rural Construction!"

Saying that our Party's goal for the socialist rural construction is to model all the rural communities across the country on the Juche idea and make them materially affluent, he noted that targets to be attained in our style rural development are to enhance level of ideological awareness of agricultural workers, make a rapid development of agricultural workforce and bring about fundamental change in the living environment of the countryside.

The report said that the project for attaining the goal of socialist rural construction is a gigantic and serious revolution and that it is necessary to set stages and goals on a scientific basis and wage purposeful struggle under year-on-year plan to successfully solve the rural problem that assume protracted and multilateral nature. It then set forth mid-term and long-term rural development strategies to be maintained by our Party and the state in the future.

The major task of rural development strategy at present is to transform all the agricultural workers into revolutionary agricultural workers befitting the era of the Workers' Party, completely solve the food problem of the country and dynamically wage the struggle for drastically changing the living environment of rural inhabitants so as to definitely put the countryside on an orbit of sustained development.

Saying that it is the most crucial task in the socialist rural construction and a key factor for its victory to make the agricultural workers main players and masters of the rural revolution, the General Secretary stressed that it is of paramount importance to put priority efforts into transforming the thought of agricultural workers and enhancing their political awareness so as to firmly prepare all of them to be rural revolutionaries upholding the Party's idea of socialist rural construction with loyalty.

He set it as the basic task of rural development strategy to increase the agricultural production and completely solve the food problem of the country, and specified the goals of grain output and production of stockbreeding, fruit, vegetables, industrial crops and sericulture to be attained phase by phase in the coming 10 years.

The report suggested the dynamic struggle of sprucing up farm villages across the country as a task to which special emphasis should be put in rural development strategy.

To build all the farm villages in the country so that they would preserve the characteristics of socialism and the peculiar features of specific regions is a crucial strategic plan which the Party gives a top priority to and which it is determined to realize under whatever conditions, in order to provide rural inhabitants with wonderful living environment with nothing to envy in the world and to achieve the overall development of the country.

A guarantee for the successful implementation of this plan is powerful%