CMC Meeting Held

Kim Jong Un (Kim Cho’ng-u’n) chaired an expanded meeting of the Korean Workers’ Party [KWP] Central Military Commission [CMC] in Pyonyang on 23 May (Saturday).  The meeting occurred “at a stirring time when the entire Party and the whole society are pushing ahead with the great revolutionary advance for glorifying this year marking the 75th anniversary of the WPK as year of opening up an epoch-making phase in the path of the development of the Korean-style socialism, true to the line and policy for achieving prosperity by self-reliance set forth by the great Party.”

Attending the meeting were Korean People’s Army [KPA] General Political Bureau Director Gen. Kim Su Gil (Kim Su-kil), Chief of the KPA General Staff VMar Pak Jong Chon (Pak Cho’ng-chon), Minister of the People’s Armed Forces Gen. Kim Jong Gwan (Kim Cho’ng-kwan), KWP Vice Chairman and KWP Munitions Industry Department Director Ri Pyong Chol (Ri Pyo’ng-ch’o’l), Minister of State Security Gen. Jong Kyong Thaek (Cho’ng Kyo’ng-t’aek), 1st Vice Minister of the People’s Armed Forces Gen. So Hong Chang (So Hong-ch’an), KWP Military Affairs Department Director Choe Pu Il (Ch’oe Pu-il), KWP Vice Chairman and KWP Economic Affairs Department Director O Su Yong (O Su-yo’ng), Military Security Command Director Gen. Jo Kyong Chol (Cho Kyo’ng-ch’o’l), KPA Navy Commanding Officer ADM Kim Myong Sik (Kim Myo’ng-sik), KPA General Political Bureau Deputy Director for Organization Son Chol Ju (Son Ch’o’l-chu), KPA General Political Bureau Deputy Director for Propaganda Col. Gen. Ri Tu Song (Ri Tu-so’ng),  KWP Organization Guidance Department Senior Deputy Director Kim Jo Guk (Kim Cho-kuk), Vice Minister of the People’s Armed Forces Col. Gen. Yun Tong Hyon (Yun Tong-hyo’n) along with other members of the CMC, members of the KPA Party Committee, commanders and political commissars of KPA corps units, service branches and combined units and senior command staff and other personnel from State Security, People’s Security, the Guard Command, and deputy directors from the Central Committee apparatus.

The CMC meeting discussed “important military steps and organizational and political measures to further bolster up the overall armed forces of the DPRK political ideologically and in military technique to be able to firmly defend the political stability and sovereignty of the country and reliably contain the persistent big or small military threats from the hostil forces in view of the essential requirements to bring about further progress in developing the national defense capability and war deterrent under the internal and external situation created in the vital period in the development of our revolution, and dealth with an organizational matter.”

The meeting also “reviewed and analyzed a series of drawbacks in the military and political activities of the overall armed forces of the DPRK including the People’s Army, and discussed methodological issues for overcoming them and bringing about drastic improvement.”  The CMC discussed “the issue of examining and setting right the unreasonable machinery and compositional defects and the core issues for further increasing the capabilities for militarily deterring the threatening foreign forces by rapidly increasing the self-reliant defense capabilities and organizing new units” and stressed “the tasks facing the different sectors to thoroughly carry out the revolutionary military line and policies of the party.”

Kim Jong Un “set forth” at the meeting “new policies for further increasing the nuclear war deterrence of the country and putting the strategic armed forces on a high alert operation in line with the general requirements for the building and development of the armed forces of the country” and “crucial measures for considerably increasing the firepower strike ability of the artillery pieces of the Korean People’s Army.”

Ri Pyong Chol was elected CMC Vice Chairman.  The CMC also recalled and appointed its membership.  An initiative dismissing, transferring and/or appointing commanders of KPA and internal security service institutions was “tabled” which means that the CMC was set to shuffle top natsec personnel, but either decided not to do so, or deferred said action to a later date.  The CMC also issued one of its largest promotions orders of general-grade officers in the DPRK’s recent history.

Kim Jong Un “put main emphasis on thoroughly realizing the party’s monolithic leadership over the People’s Army by consolidating the party organizations and political institutions at all levels within the People’s Army and enhancing their function and roles, and on providing party leadership to conducting military, political, logistic, defense and all other affairs in line with the ideology and intention of the party under whatever circumstances.”  KJU also “specificed key issues to be constantly maintained in the military and political performance of the armed forces of the DPRK, and the tasks and ways [to fulfill them].”

The Suryo’ng also “signed seven orders including the orders on new military measures discussed and decided at the Party CMC, an order on drafting a reorganization of machinery for enhancing the responsibility and roles of the major military educations institutions, an order on reorganizing the military commanding system to meet the mission and duty of security institutions, and the order promoting the military ranks of commanding officer.”

According KCNA, the CMC meeting “served as a historic turning point of great significance in increasing the capabilities of the revolutionary armed forces in every way and laying a solid foundation for further powerfully propelling the victorious advance of the revolutionary cause of Chuch’e by dint of the invincible military force under the outstanding army-building idea and strategic plan of the WPK.”

The military promotions order signed by Kim Jong Un in his capacity as CMC Chair is

It is the fixed faith and unshakable will of our party to firmly defend the sovereignty and dignity of the country, break through head-on the grim unprecedented hardships and win new victory in building a powerful socialist country in reliance on the strong militant spirit and the invincible might of the revolutionary armed forces.

Today the armed forces of the DPRK face a heavy historic task to further arm with the revolutionary idea, line and policies of the WPK as required by the prevailing situation, to reliably defend the party, the revolution, the country, people and socialism by bolstering the invincible military force in every way and to fully display the might as the pioneer of the times and the performers of miracles in the grand advance for achieving prosperity by dint of self-defense.

All the commanding officers of the armed forces of the DPRK must open the breakthrough of advance in the van of the gigantic struggle to significantly celebrate the 75th founding anniversary of the glorious WPK by holding fast to the party’s leadership as lifeline and work unprecedented innovative successes in carrying out the cause of building a powerful army and the cause of socialist construction as a whole so as to glorify the noble honor as members of the great party’s army, the great people’s army.

I order to promote the military ranks of the major commanding officers as follows, firmly believing that all the commanding officers, key backbones of the armed forces of the DPRK, would honor their noble mission and duties in the sacred struggle to defend the party, the revolution, the country and the people.

According to the order of the supreme commander, Pak Jong Chon was promoted to vice marshal, Jong Kyong Thaek to general and Choe Tu Yong, Kim Jong Gil, Kwon Yong Jin, Kwon Thae Yong, Choe Kwang Jun, Han Sun Chol and Kim Pyong Sop were promoted to colonel general, Kim Kuk Chang, U Myong Nam, Sin In Yong, Kim Chun Gyo, Om Song Il, Kim Ju Sam, Jong Myong Do, Ri Kyong Chon, Ri Yong Chol, Hong Jong Duk, Jon Sung Nam, Ryo Chol Ung, Kim To Un, Pak Song Chan, Ro Yong Gil, Ri Il Nam, An Kwang Nam, Kim Chun Won, Kim Chun Bom and Rim Yong Chol to lieutenant general and Ri Song Min, Kim Pong Ho, Pak Yong Gwan, Kim Kuk Hyon, Ju Tong Chol, Jo Kwang Sok, Kim Kang Il, Pak Kyong Ho, Kim Hyo Nam, Kim Tong Chol, Ri Kyong Chol, Ri Chang Ho, Kim Chon Hyok, Ri Yong Chol, Ha Chol, Sin Kum Chol, Choe Chang Hu, Pak Song Ryol, Jon Chol, Nam Chol, Hyon Un Chol, Sin Chol Ryong, Mun Kwang Guk, Sim Tong Jun, Kim Yong Gun, Pak Il Hak, Kim Chol Man, Choe San Ho, Paek Ki Chol, Pang Kwang Nam, Yun Pok Nam, Kim Ryong Chol, Yun Il Nam, Yun Hwang Chol, Kim Hak Chol, Hwang Nae Yun, Jong Myong Nam, Sim Won Chol, Han Ju Song, Jon Kyong Sang, Kim Sun Chol, Ko Jong Chol, Jang Kun Pil, Pak Tong Gyu, Kim Myong Ho, Ri Jong Chol, Pak Il Su, Sim Song Bin, Han Yong Bom, Kim Kwang Hun, Ham Hyo Sik, Kim Myong Ho, Kim Kwang Su, Pak Song Ju, Kim Won Bong, Hong Myong Sok, Choe Hang Mun, Yun Chol Ho, So Kang Chol, Ri Chun Sam, Kim Myong Nam, Pang Ryong Il, Yun Hyo Song, Kang Kum Chol, Ri Yong Sop, Kang Chol Hyon, Kim Kyong Jung, Pae Tong Nam and Ri Ju Ho to major general.