Defend Kim Jong-un with your lives, North Korean troops told as supreme leader marks 10 years in charge
- Supreme commander of the Korean People’s Army was the first top job Kim Jong-un was given after his father Kim Jong-il’s death in 2011
- The military must become an ‘impregnable fortress and bulletproof walls in devotedly defending [Kim] with their lives’, state media said on Thursday
In a lengthy editorial, official newspaper Rodong Sinmun said that North Korea’s military commanders and soldiers must become an “impregnable fortress and bulletproof walls in devotedly defending [Kim] with their lives.”
It also called for building a more modernised, advanced military that serves as a “reliable guardian of our state and people”. The editorial said all of North Korea’s troops and people must uphold Kim’s leadership to establish a powerful socialist country.
North Korea has previously issued similar propaganda-heavy statements urging people to rally behind Kim in times of difficulties. Some observers say Kim has been grappling with the toughest moment of his 10-year rule due to the coronavirus pandemic, UN sanctions and his own mismanagement.
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On Monday, Kim opened a plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers’ Party to review past projects and determine major policies for next year. In two days of meetings, Kim set unspecified development strategies for the country’s rural development, while participants discussed next year’s budget and other agendas, according to state media.
Observers say North Korea is likely to disclose Kim’s stances on relations with Washington and Seoul, the country’s deadlocked nuclear diplomacy and its economic hardships at the end of the plenary meeting expected later this week.
Despite the present difficulties, few outside analysts question Kim’s grip on power. Supreme commander of the Korean People’s Army was the first top job he was given after his father Kim Jong-il’s death in 2011. The current leader holds a slew of other high-profile positions such as general secretary of the Workers’ Party and chairman of the State Affairs Commission.
