Kim Jong Un Report to the March 2013 Plenary Meeting of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea

Comrades,

Today we are holding a plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the Worker’s Party of Korea. At this meeting we will discuss and adopt an important strategic line for bringing closer the victory of the revolutionary cause of Juche pioneered on Mt. Paektu as required by the prevailing situation and the developing revolution.

Under the wise leadership of the great President Kim Il Sung and General Kim Jong Il, our revolution has travelled the glorious road of victory by bravely overcoming the worst difficulties and challenges in the protracted and severe struggle against the allied imperialist forces.

The enemy, frightened by the soaring mettle of our service personnel and other people who are charging forward full of confidence for final victory under the Party’s leadership, have enlisted all their political, economic and military forces to isolate and stifle our Republic; as a consequence, the situation in our country has reached such a grave level as that in a country on the brink of war.

Today we are faced with the important task to achieve the decisive victory in the all-out showdown with the enemy for smashing its daily increasing schemes to stifle our Republic and to develop the Juche-based socialist country into a powerful Paektusan nation which no one in the world would dare provoke forever.

Proceeding from the requirements of the prevailing situation and the developing revolution, the Central Committee of the Party puts forth the new strategic line of simultaneously carrying on the construction of the economy and the upbuilding of the nuclear forces.

This line is a strategic line for directing greater efforts to economic construction while consolidating the country’s defence capabilities by developing the nuclear forces which the great General bequeathed to us, thus building a thriving country in which our people would enjoy all the benefits of socialism.

Carrying on the construction of the economy and the upbuilding of the nuclear forces simultaneously is an indispensable requirement of the prevailing situation.

We intended to concentrate our efforts on economic construction by relying on the self-defensive war deterrents which the great Generalissimos Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il had created all their lives, so that the people would not tighten their belts any longer but enjoy the benefits of socialism. However, a great obstacle has been created in front of us.

The United States and its vassal forces, picking a quarrel with our successful launch in last December of a peaceful man-made satellite, railroaded a brigandish “resolution on sanctions” through the UN Security Council. It was a hostile, outrageous act that illegalizes the legitimate right of a sovereign state to launch a satellite.

To cope with this situation and as a link in the whole chain of substantial countermeasures to defend the country’s sovereignty and security, we were compelled to conduct the third underground nuclear test of a self-defensive nature.

The hostile forces, including the United States, grew crazier and adopted another “sanctions resolution,” which is harsher than the previous one. In the meantime, they have staged joint military exercises Key Resolve and Foal Eagle by enlisting vast aggressive forces to ignite a nuclear war.

Rallied solidly behind the Central Committee of the Party, our service personnel and other people have turned out as one in the anti-US, all-out showdown to respond to the enemy’s aggressive war with a righteous war for national reunification. Frightened by our harder line, the enemy dare not lash out at random, but have not given up their wild dream to stifle our Republic.

Our peaceful efforts for the economic construction and the improvement of the people’s standard of living are but to be accompanied by an acute struggle against the enemy, and the US schemes to stifle our Republic by means of sanctions and pressure and thus pull down our nuclear deterrents and our socialist system will persist for long.

The United States is most afraid of our nuclear deterrents, which are small-sized, light and diversified, and is making last-ditch efforts as they think that if we, possessed of nuclear weapons, achieve economic prosperity; its hostile policy towards the DRPK will come to naught.

That the hostile policy the United States pursues against the DPRK is getting more vicious in recent years is also related with the fact that it has moved the strategic centre for its hegemony in the world to the Asia-Pacific region and designated our country as the primary target of its attack.

Proceeding from this, the United States is artificially aggravating the tension, picking a quarrel with our launch of a peaceful satellite without any good reason, and taking this as an excuse, is conducting large-scale joint war exercises one after another by mobilizing enormous aggressive forces. It is intent on dismantling our nuclear armaments and overthrowing our system by all means and methods.

The tragic events that have taken place in several countries in recent years show that if the strength of a country is weak, it cannot defend its sovereignty and the dignity of its nation nor achieve the happiness and prosperity of its people.

We must never forget the lessons of the countries in the Balkan Peninsula and the Middle East which failed to possess powerful self-defensive capabilities, looking to big countries, or gave up even their existing war deterrents under the pressure and appeasement of the imperialists, ending up becoming victims of aggression.

The enemies are now blackmailing us, saying that we cannot achieve economic development unless we give up our nuclear weapons; at the same time, they are appeasing us, saying that if we choose another road, they would help us to be well-off.

The more they do so, the more firmly we must hold the treasured sword of nuclear weapons and the more widely we should open the gate to prosperity.

To carry on the economic construction and the upbuilding of the nuclear forces simultaneously at present is the law-governed requirement of our developing revolution.

The cause of Songun revolution associated with the ennobling lives of the Generalissimos has today greeted a new, historic tuning-point.

We must consolidate the strength of Songun to the maximum and, by relying on it, build without fail a strongest country in the world, a people’s paradise, in which all the people live happily with nothing to envy in the world. Unshakable is our Party’s determination to enable our people, who have invariably followed it overcoming various hardships, to enjoy the happiest and most affluent life in the world on the strength of Songun.

The effort to develop the economy and improve the people’s standard of living can be successful only when it is backed by powerful military capabilities, nuclear forces. In the spirit with which we conquered outer space and with the mettle with which we succeeded in the nuclear test of a high level, we must push ahead simultaneously with the campaign to defend the country and the construction of an economic giant, and thus achieve the happiness of the people and the prosperity of the powerful Paektusan nation without fail.

Carrying on the economic construction and the upbuilding of the nuclear forces simultaneously is an urgent requirement for categorically rejecting the domination and intervention of foreign forces and accelerating the historic cause of national reunification, the supreme desire of our nation. The nuclear weapons we are possessed of are a precious asset of the entire nation which will guarantee forever the prosperity of a reunified country.

The strategic line of simultaneously carrying on the economic construction and the upbuilding of the nuclear forces is a righteous line that will make it possible to brilliantly implement the cause of building a thriving socialist country by remarkably consolidating our war deterrents and putting spurs to the economic construction.

Our nuclear forces are reliable war deterrents and a guarantee for the defending of the sovereignty of the nation. For nearly 70 years after the appearance of the nuclear weapons, the worldwide Cold War lasted for long and many wars, large and small, have been fought in various regions, but it was only the nuclear states that have not experienced military aggression.

If a country is fully capable of dealing precise blows with nuclear weapons at aggressors and their bases wherever they may be on the earth, no aggressors will dare attack it; the more enormous and stronger its power of nuclear strike, the greater its effectiveness of deterring war. In particular, since our country is confronted with the United States which possesses the largest arsenal of nuclear weapons in the world and the latter constantly threatens us with nuclear weapons, we must beef up our nuclear forces both in quantity and in quality. Peace, prosperity and people’s happy life all rest with powerful nuclear forces.

The strategic line of simultaneously carrying on the economic construction and the upbuilding of the nuclear forces is a realistic one which will bring about the maximum effect in the economic development and defence upbuilding in keeping with our actual conditions.

The United States and its vassal forces are now scheming to hamper our effort to build an economic giant and improve the people’s standard of living by dragging us into arms race. The new line will enable us to further strengthen our defence capabilities at small expense without increasing military expenditure and direct great efforts to the economic construction and the improving of the people’s standard of living.

We have a strong atomic energy industry which the great Generalissimos established with keen foresight, outstanding leadership and iron courage and also inexhaustible uranium resources.

The Party’s line of simultaneously carrying on the economic construction and the upbuilding of the nuclear forces is a reasonable line which will enable us to ease the strain on electric power supply at the same time as strengthening the nuclear forces on the basis of the Juche-based atomic energy industry; it is also a just line which will make it possible to satisfactorily realize our Party’s plan and intention to enable the people to live a happy life free from any worry while coping with the prevailing situation on our own initiative.

This strategic line is a succession and development of the line of simultaneously carrying on the economic construction and defence upbuilding that was set forth by President Kim Il Sung and applied by General Kim Jong Il thoroughly.

At the Fifth Plenary Meeting of the Fourth Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea held in December 1962 Comrade Kim Il Sung advanced the line of simultaneously developing the economy and national defence capabilities, the first of its kind in history, and set forth the revolutionary slogan, “Rifle in one hand and hammer or sickle in the other!” As he advanced this line and created both the self-supporting national economy and the self-reliant national defence capabilities, we were able to firmly safeguard the gains of the revolution unperturbed in the upheavals in which socialism collapsed in several countries.

While leading the fierce anti-US nuclear showdown along the road of victory by dint of his distinguished Songun politics, General Kim Jong Il achieved the great cause of possessing nuclear weapons, thus defending Juche-based socialism and providing a strong springboard for building a thriving country.

We are now doing anything we are determined to do in accordance with our faith, will and mettle while resolutely frustrating the vicious moves of the United States and its vassal forces to isolate and stifle the DPRK. We owe this to the powerful nuclear deterrents, to the creation of which the great Generalissimos devoted all their lives. The exploits of the Generalissimos who made our country a dignified nuclear state in the world will shine forever in the history of our nation.

The Party’s line of stepping up the building of an economic giant while consolidating the defence capabilities of the country with the nuclear forces as the backbone is a treasured sword for stepping up the building of a thriving socialist country and national reunification, and it is a banner for our country to firmly defend the sovereignty and dignity of our nation for generation after generation.

The strategic line reflects our Party’s unshakable faith and will to carry the revolutionary cause of Juche through to completion along the road of independence, the road of Songun and the road of socialism, which the President pioneered and the General continued to follow.

We must thoroughly implement the Party’s line of simultaneously carrying on the economic construction and the upbuilding of the nuclear forces as we hold fast to the line.

To step up the building of an economic giant and drastically improve the people’s standard of living is the most important and urgent task facing our Party at present.

It was the General’s lifelong wish to build his beloved country into an economic giant and thus make the people live happily without anything to envy in the world. We must step up the building of an economic giant and improve the people’s standard of living at an early date as was intended by the General.

The success or failure in the effort to build an economic giant depends, first of all, on how we shore up the vanguard sectors and basic industry sectors of the national economy. When power, coal-mining and metallurgical industries and railway transport dynamically advance in the vanguard, the overall national economy can be revitalized and progress full of vigour. The vanguard sectors and basic industry sectors of the national economy should make breakthroughs for victory in the current grand onward march as befits the trailblazers and pioneers in the building of an economic giant.

We must bring about a fresh turn in the development of agriculture and light industry which are the main thrust areas in the building of an economic giant.

It is necessary to fulfil without fail the grain production plan advanced by the Party by increasing state investment in agriculture and doing farming scientifically and technically as required by the Juche farming method.

In hearty response to the Party’s call for making big strides in the grand onward march for improving the people’s standard of living, the light industry sector must run light industry factories at full capacity and mass-produce quality consumer goods favoured by the people.

By stoking up the flames of the industrial revolution in the new century, we must further raise the level of modernization and scientification of the national economy and definitely turn ours into a knowledge-based economy.

In the present era, when the height and speed of the economic and social development are determined by the development of science and technology, the economic giant we are building must be a knowledge-based one whose driving force is science and technology.

Great efforts must be channelled into locally obtaining the fuel and raw and other materials urgently needed in the building of an economic giant by relying on our resources and technology and particularly into putting the key industry sectors, including metallurgical and chemical industries, on a Juche-oriented footing.

By building up forces for developing new technologies and combining the economy organically with science and technology, all sectors of the national economy must equip factories and enterprises with modern technology.

And we must direct efforts to the development of space science and technology so as to develop and launch a greater number of communications satellite and various other kinds of application satellites.

In order to bring about a turn in the building of an economic giant, we must improve economic guidance and management.

State economic organs, including the Cabinet, must work out economic development strategy and set realistic objectives by sectors and stages in a substantial manner and thoroughly carry them out. They must also scrupulously organize and direct production so as to increase production by making the most of the already-built economic foundations.

We must study and perfect our style of economic management method as demanded by the developing reality.

The method, which embodies in it the Juche idea, must keep to the socialist ownership of the means of production and ensure that all enterprises conduct business activities independently and creatively under the unified leadership of the state. It must be a socialist method that encourages the producer masses to fulfil their responsibilities and roles as masters in the production and management.

We must expand and diversify foreign trade, thus frustrating the moves of the hostile forces for sanctions and blockade and bringing about a favourable turn in building an economic giant.

Tourist zones must be built in several places of the country, including the areas of Wonsan and Mt. Chilbo, to promote tourism; provinces must set up economic development zones that conform with their respective features and develop them characteristically.

As long as the imperialists’ nuclear threat exists, we must keep up simultaneously carrying on the economic construction and the upbuilding of the nuclear forces as an immutable line and further consolidate the nuclear deterrents.

Our nuclear deterrents represent the righteous means to defend the sovereignty of the country and nation, prevent war and safeguard peace. When we have strong nuclear deterrents, we will have nothing to fear even though a formidable enemy may pounce upon us and we can concentrate our efforts without any worry on the economic construction and the improving of the people’s standard of living.

The munitions industry sector must make another big stride in the struggle to make our country a most powerful nuclear state in the world.

It must produce precision and small-sized nuclear weapons and the means of their delivery in larger numbers, and constantly update the nuclear weapons technology in order to develop more powerful and more advanced nuclear weapons.

To put the atomic energy industry on an up-to-date, scientific footing is a major key to increasing the production of nuclear materials and the quality of its products and making the nuclear weapons small-sized and light on a higher standard. The atomic energy sector must actively conduct the campaign to break through the cutting edge so as to introduce the CNC system and full automation to equipment and producing lines.

We must put the atomic energy industry firmly on the foundations of the cutting-edge science and technology as required by the new century, and develop the self-supporting nuclear power industry in order to ease the shortage of electricity in the country.

The People’s Army must enhance the backbone role of nuclear forces in all aspects of the war deterrent strategy and the war waging strategy and perfect the regular combat readiness of the nuclear forces.

We are going to fix by law the issue of holding fast consistently to the nuclear deterrents, the legacy of the great General.

We must be proactive in the external activities for creating a favourable environment for the implementation of the line of carrying on the economic construction and the upbuilding of the nuclear forces.

We must conduct the external activities courageously with the dignity and strength due to a nuclear state so as to further raise the international prestige of our Party. We must also create external conditions and environment while maintaining the principle of independence so as to forcefully promote the building of a thriving country.

We must conduct proactive external activities to disclose the reactionary nature and unjustness of the US hostile policy towards our Republic, the root cause that compels us to strengthen our nuclear forces, and give publicity to the justness and inevitability of our option and line. By so doing, we must increase the ranks of our supporters and sympathizers in the international arena.

As a responsible nuclear state, the DPRK will strive to ensure peace and security in Asia and the rest of the world, implement its commitment to nuclear non-proliferation it made to international society in good faith and contribute to the realization of global denuclearization.

All officials, Party members and other working people must dynamically turn out in the effort to carry out the Party’s line of simultaneously carrying on the economic construction and the upbuilding of the nuclear forces with confidence in sure victory and fighting spirit of implementing Party policy to the death. In this way they must step up the building of a thriving socialist country.

The revolutionary mettle and fighting tradition of our service personnel and other people trained by the great Generalissimos are that the more complicated the situation is and the more gigantic the tasks facing them are, the more staunchly they advance along the road they chose by themselves with firm confidence in the justness of their cause and in victory.

Let us all be firmly united around the Party Central Committee and bring closer final victory by energetically pushing forward with the economic construction and the upbuilding of the nuclear forces simultaneously as required by the prevailing situation and the developing revolution.