Parade Held to Mark the 70th Anniversary of the KPA’s Foundation

KJU’s and RSJ’s last observed appearances were the test drive of a recently manufactured trolley bus

A fabulous military parade was held in Kim Il Sung Square in central Pyongyang during the late morning of February 8 (NKST Thursday) to mark the 70 anniversary of the foundation of the Korean People’s Army [KPA].  The event was not aired live on Korean Central Television [KCTV] and attendance was relatively restricted, in contrast to demonstrations of recent years.

Kim Jong Un [Kim Cho’ng-u’n] and Ri Sol Ju [Ri So’l-chu] arrived at the back entrance of the parade review stand and where Jong Un conducted a review of the honor guard and led senior officials onto the platform.  Upon arriving onto the review platform, the gathered crowd chanted Jong Un’s name and also shouted “devoted defense.”

Among those standing on the renovated platform were KPA General Political Department Director VMar Kim Jong Gak [Kim Cho’ng-kak], Chief of the KPA General Staff VMar Ri Myong Su [Ri Myo’ng-su], Minister of the People’s Armed Forces Gen. Pak Yong Sik [Pak Yo’ng-sik], 1st Vice Chief of the KPA General Staff Gen. Ri Yong Gil [Ri Yo’ng-kil], 1st Vice Minister of the People’s Armed Forces Gen. So Hong Chan [So Hong-chan], KPA Navy Commander VAdm Kim Myong Sik [Kim Myo’ng-sik], Guard Command Director Gen. Yun Jong Rin [Yun Cho’ng-rin], Military Security Command Director Gen. Jo Kyong Chol [Cho Kyo’ng-ch’o’l], KPA Air and Anti-Air Force Commander Gen. Kim Kwang Hyok [Kim Kwang-hyok], KPA Strategic Force Commander Gen. Kim Rak Gyom [Kim Rak-kyo’m], Vice Chief of the KPA General Staff and KPA Artillery Commander Colonel-General Pak Jong Chon [Pak Cho’ng-cho’n], KPA Operation Command Group Director and WPK Central Committee Department Senior Deputy Director Ri Pyong Chol [Ri Pyo’ng-ch’o’l], KPA General Political Department Director for Organization Lt. Gen. Jo Nam Jin [Cho Nam-chin], KPA Coastal Artillery Defense Commander Major-General An Ji Yong [An Chi-yo’ng], KPA Large Combined Unit #630 Commander Lt. Gen. Kim Yong Bok [Kim Yo’ng-pok], IV Army Corps Commander Colonel-General Ri Song Guk [Ri So’ng-kuk], Vice Chief of the KPA General Staff and Reconnaissance General Bureau Director Lt. General Jang Gil Song [Chang Kil-so’ng], KPA Navy Political Director RAdm Ho Yong Chun [Ho Yo’ng-ch’un], ,  KPA Air and Anti-Air Force Political Director Colonel-General Son Chol Ju [Son Ch’o’l-chu], Vice Chief of the KPA General Staff and head of the KPA General Staff Training Bureau Pang Kwan Bok [Pang Kwan-pok], Vice Minister of the People’s Armed Forces Colonel-General Yun Tong Hyon [Yun To’ng-hyo’n], other members of the KPA high command and corps commanders.  Standing on the platform behind the VIPS was Personal Secretariat Deputy Director and WPK Propaganda and Agitation Senior Deputy Director Kim Yo Jong [Kim Yo’-cho’ng].

Among those seated on the platform were Ri Sol Ju, Supreme People’s Assembly [SPA] Presidium President Kim Yong Nam [Kim Yo’ng-nam], DPRK Premier and Vice Chairman of the State Affairs Commission Pak Pong Ju [Pak Pong-chu], WPK Organization Guidance Department Director and WPK Vice Chairman and Vice Chairman of the State Affairs Commission Choe Ryong Hae [Ch’oe Ryong-hae], WPK Vice Chairman Pak Kwang Ho [Pak Kwang-ho], WPK Vice Chairman Ri Su Yong [Ri Su-yo’ng], WPK Vice Chairman O Su Yong [O Su-yo’ng], WPK Vice Chairman An Jong Su [An Cho’ng-su] DPRK Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho [Ri Yo’ng-ho], State Planning Commission Chairman and DPRK Vice Premier Ro Tu Chol [Ro Tu-ch’o’l], SPA Presidium Vice President Yang Hyong Sop [Yang Hyo’ng-sop], SPA Presidium Honorary Vice President and immediate past DPRK Premier Choe Yong Rim [Ch’oe Yo’ng-rim], WPK Vice Chairman Thae Jong Su [T’ae Cho’ng-su], WPK Vice Chairman Kim Phyong Hae [Kim P’yo’ng-hae], Second Economy Commission (Second Economic Committee) Chairman No Kwang Chol [No Kwang-ch’o’l], Member of the 88th Sniper Brigade of the Soviet Far East Command and former Second Economy Commission Chairman Kim Chol Man [Kim Ch’o’l-man], Former National Defense Commission Vice Chairman VMar Ri Yong Mu [Ri Yo’ng-mu], Former National Defense Commission Vice Chairman Gen. O Kuk Ryol [O Kuk-ryo’l], WPK Organization Guidance Department Senior Deputy Director Ri Man Gon [Ri Man-ko’n], DPRK Vice Premier In Chol Ung [Im Ch’o’l-u’ng] WPK Vice Chairman Pak Thae Song [Pak T’ae-so’ng], WPK Vice Chairman Pak Thae Dok [Pak T’ae-dok], Minister of People’s Security Gen. Choe Pu Il [Ch’oe Pu-il], Minister of State Security Jong Kyong Thaek [Cho’ng Kyo’ng-t’aek], WPK Vice Chairman Choe Hwi [Ch’oe Hwi], WPK Organization Guidance Department Senior Deputy Director and Chairman of the WPK Control [Inspection] Commission Jo Yon Chun [Cho Yo’n-ch’un] and Pyongyang WPK City Committee Chairman Kim Su Gil [Kim Su-kil].

Seated in the VIP section in front of the review platform were cadres, functionaries and officials of the WPK, DPRK Government, Cabinet Ministries and Commissions, national institutions, officers and service personnel of the KPA and Korean People’s Internal Security Forces [KPISF], faculty and students of the Mangyo’ngdae Revolutionary School and Kang Pan Sok Revolutionary School, managers and functionaries industrial production units and various Pyongyangites who’ve received state awards and titles.  Also in attendance were foreign diplomats and defense attaches, along with their spouses, and other foreign nationals.

The honor guard and combined KPA military band began the parade’s opening ceremony, after which the DPRK and WPK flags were raised.  Minister of the People’s Armed Forced Gen. Pak Yong Sik and the parade director rode around central Pyongyang on jeeps (in lieu of Mercedes Benz limousines) to review the participating units and congratulate them on the 70th anniversary of the KPA’s foundation.  Gen. Pak then rode back in front of the parade review platform and reported to Kim Jong Un that all participating units were present and accounted for and the parade would begin.  A trumpeter ceremoniously played a tune that the parade would begin and 21-gun salute responded.

Before things proceeded, Kim Jong Un delivered a speech.  He said:

President Kim Il Sung (Kim Il-so’ng) founded the KPA, regular revolutionary armed forces, it was a historic day of great significance in building the revolutionary armed forces and accomplishing the revolutionary cause of Chuch’e, like April 25 when the President founded the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army (KPRA).

The KPA is the revolutionary army which inherited the traditions of the anti-Japanese struggle with the indomitable revolutionary spirit, rich fighting experience and superb tactics of the KPRA.

Thanks to the foundation of the Chuch’e-based regular army, the DPRK has proudly emerged the most dignified people’s country with its own strong military guarantee from the first days of its birth and it could defeat the imperialist aggression forces boasting of being “the strongest” in the world and achieve the great victory in the Fatherland Liberation War (Korean War).

It is the pride of our Party and state and great fortune of our people to have a majestic and powerful revolutionary army, the people’s army.

The KPA needs to hold high the banner of modeling the whole army on Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism and carry through the strategic line and tasks for bolstering up the military strength set forth by the Party and thus have perfect combat efficiency as befits the revolutionary army.

The People’s Army should remain intensely loyal to the leadership of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK).

It should be the first death-defying corps and the first lifeguards defending the Central Committee of the WPK with arms, entrusting its destiny to the WPK.

Under the present situation in which the US and its vassal forces make a fuss around the Korean Peninsula, the People’s Army should keep high alert and step up combat preparations.

And thus it should restrain the aggressors from violating or making a mockery of the dignity and sovereignty of our inviolable country even 0.001 mm.

The People’s Army should establish blade-like military discipline and more thoroughly take on the appearance as befits the regular army.

It should do things, big and small, for the sake of the people and regard devoting true feelings to them with utmost sincerity as its revolutionary army spirit.

As long as there exists imperialism on the earth and the US pursues its hostile policy toward the DPRK, the mission of the People’s Army, a powerful treasured sword for the protection of the country and people and peace, can never be changed.  Only final victory is in store for the WPK and the people that take a grip on arms of revolution.

The DPRK will be powerful and prosperous forever as long as there is the KPA boundlessly faithful to the leadership of the WPK.

After Jong Un’s speech, a motorcade with flags bearing the official portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il (Kim Cho’ng-il) rolled through under the escort of KPA generals and officer.  The KPA honor guard and parade participants “paid high tribute.”  The parade began with columns of KPA personnel dressed in historic attire from the period during the KPA’s foundation.  It was followed by the parade director and columns of the KPA’s three service branches, its corps units, logistics personnel, rear services and medical officers all marching past in fine array.

Jet fighters flew in a formation of the numeral 70 to mark the anniversary and blasted off fireworks.  This was followed by tanks, BTRs, Howitzer-type artillery, multiple-launch rocket systems, other mechanized pieces and units and a variety of ballistic missiles  The end of the parade was marked with additional jet fighters leaving a trail in the shape of a five color fan “to specially decorate the end of the parade.”

The parade ended with thunderous applause which “reverberated far and wide.” More fireworks blasted off.  Iridescent balloons were untethered and floated over KIS Square.  Kim Jong Un, Ri Sol Ju, Kim Yong Nam (who doffed his cap), Pak Pong Ju and Choe Ryong Hae stepped forth onto the platform’s balcony.  Jong Un waved to the crowd, walking along platform.  He stopped to speak briefly with the parade’s sole guest who served with Kim Il Sung in the 88th Sniper Brigade, the 100-year old former Second Economy Commission Chairman Ri Chol Man.  Jong Un returned to the center of the platform and removed his hat in respect to the crowd and participants.  According to KCNA, the “military parade celebrating the 70the anniversary of the KPA demonstrated the faith and will of the Korean army and people to further consolidate the DPRK as invincible fortress of socialism and bring earlier the final victory of the Chuch’e revolution.”