Kim praises army on anniversary of N Korean founder

NORTH KOREA’S young leader Kim Jong-un was full of praise for the secretive country’s military yesterday, despite a failed rocket launch last week, on delivering his first speech as the third generation of his family to rule.

There were shades of his father, Kim Jong-il, or perhaps more relevantly his grandfather, Kim Il-sung, whom he resembles, as the portly 20-something stood on a podium and oversaw a parade of straight-backed goose-stepping soldiers, ground-to-air missiles and tanks on the streets of Pyongyang.

He did not mention the regime’s nuclear weapons programme or the abortive launch of what North Korea called a communications satellite, which the West sees as an effort to build a missile that can carry nuclear warheads.

He took a combative tone in his 20-minute speech, saying “the days of enemies threatening and blackmailing us with nuclear weapons are forever over”.

“The Workers’ Party firmly determines that the people, who suffered much hardship, should enjoy the wealth and splendour of socialism and never again tighten their belts,” he said.

While North Korea said the launch was intended to put a satellite into orbit, the US said it violated international commitments, and also scrapped the February plan to provide 240,000 tonnes of food aid to the state.

The parade was broadcast nationwide on North Korean state television to commemorate the centenary of the birth of Mr Kim’s late grandfather, Kim Il-sung.

The younger Kim, thought to be less than 30 years old, assumed power after his father, Kim Jong-il, died of a heart attack on December 17th last. “Let us move forward to final victory,” he said.

North Korea is believed to be readying a third nuclear test, based on intelligence satellite images and through a past pattern of rocket launches followed by tests.

Such a test would probably be aimed at saving face after Mr Kim’s humiliation over the long-range rocket that disintegrated within minutes of lift-off two days earlier.

The Kim family has run North Korea for three generations because it enjoys strong support from the military.

The country is still technically at war with South Korea, as the 1950-53 Korean War ended without a peace treaty.

Even though the country is dreadfully poor, the country has an army 1.2 million strong and has twice managed to test nuclear devices, in 2006 and 2009.

Among the new titles recently bestowed upon Mr Kim are first chairman of the ruling National Defence Commission, which helps him cement his grip on power.

He also holds the titles of first secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, supreme commander of the Korean People’s Army and supreme leader of the party and people of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

“The people’s army has conducted guerrilla warfare, regular combat and psychological warfare,” said Mr Kim. “We have grown into a powerful military, equipped with our own means of defence and attack in any modern war.”

Koh Yu Hwan, a professor of North Korean studies at Seoul’s Dongguk University, said: “Kim is very aware of how powerful the military is and knows his only strategy is to keep selling the ‘military-first’ policy. Stability is what the young Kim needs most and he needs the full support of the military.”