August 25 is the commemorative day when Chairman KIM JONG IL of the National Defense Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea started his Songun leadership. It can be said that nearly 50 years since the day of 1060 have been the period of his putting forward and strengthening the army as the pillar and the driving force of the socialist cause.

KIM JONG IL set up the Korean People’s Army as the important political force that leads the socialist cause.

Some former socialist countries had recognized it as an established formula to put the working class in the van and carried forward the socialist cause by depending on it. Many a number of years have passed since the theory of setting up the working class as the driving force of revolution was established, and the social environment and the situation of the working class have undergone great changes. With the high development of science and technology and the advent of the IT era, labors have come to depend more and more to technology and intelligence, and the number of white-collar workers has rapidly increased as compared with that of the blue-collar. This has brought about a great change in the revolutionary spirit, sense of organization and consciousness of the working class. Based on his scientific analysis of the changing social environment and realities, KIM JONG IL put forth the idea of putting the working class after the army. He put forward as the driving force of the socialist cause the army which is the strongest in revolutionary spirit, sense of organization and fighting spirit among different classes, strata and groups of society.

He put primary efforts in the politico-ideological education of soldiers, thus making the People’s Army fully prepared as the core political force leading the socialist cause. The lofty and strong ideological and moral qualities displayed by the soldiers-these he named the “revolutionary soldier spirit,” and made sure that it was followed by all the people.

Under his leadership the KPA has been fully prepared as the driving force of socialist cause, the one with strong ideology and faith.

KIM JONG IL has strengthened the KPA into the militant organization that creditably defends the socialist cause.

Saying that peace and socialism are only defended by the arms of the People’s Army, he has put great efforts in strengthening the army’s combat capacity. He attached importance to equipping commanding officers and staff officers with strategy and tactics that suit the actual conditions of the country and the requirements of modern warfare. Meanwhile he saw to it that all soldiers are prepared as strong fighters by strengthening the combat training under the slogan “A-match-for-a-hundred” put forth by President KIM IL SUNG.

At the end of last century the imperialist forces concentrated their anti-socialist offensives on socialist Korea after the collapse of socialism in the former Soviet Union and other countries. At this juncture, he gave priority to enhancing the combat capability of the People’s Army, upholding the banner of Songun higher.

In the course of his continuous inspections of army units, the combat capability of the People’s Army was strengthened in every way. The KPA, the reliable defender of the socialist cause, was one of the fundamental factors in enabling socialist Korea to firmly maintain its socialist banner in the face of the severest difficulties. Today, the DPRK, though small, is squarely challenging the hard-line policy of the United States, the “only superpower” of the world, with a harder-line policy, demonstrating its sovereignty and dignity. This is inconceivable apart from the peerless KPA.

Chairman KIM JONG IL has developed the KPA into a powerful revolutionary force that takes the lead in the whole socialist construction. The KPA should not be regarded only in view of the established theory that regards an army as the one in direct change of national defense.

He has led the People’s Army to act as the vanguard and shock brigade in all fields of socialist construction including the building of economy and culture.

True to his intention, the KPA soldiers have carried out important and difficult tasks in the economic construction under the slogan “Let us undertake both the national defense and the socialist construction!” In the difficult days of the late 1990s, the People’s Army stubbornly struggled and took the lead in the large-scale land realignment and built a large number of structures including the Anbyon Youth Power Station and the Chongnyu Bridge, in the spirit of self-reliance and implementing the Supreme Commander’s order at the cost of their lives. They continued to build a lot of chicken and catfish farms and light industry factories helpful to the people’s living across the country.

The feats of the People’s Army encouraged all the people to wage a heroic struggle. Consequently, socialist Korea overcame the difficulties in the late 1990s and brought about a new turn in the building of a great, prosperous and powerful nation.

In addition the army crated the “revolutionary soldier culture”. There took place artistic festivals of army men and artistic performances of officers’ wives, and the soldier managed their economic life assiduously, and organized their life in an optimistic way. The very culture has prevailed over the whole society, filling it with revolutionary spirit, militant optimism and noble cultural sentiments. This is the reality of Korea today. The socialist cause of Korea with the army as its driving force will emerge victorious