Report of Central Election Committee

Pyongyang, March 13 (KCNA) -- The central election committee for the election of deputies to the 15th Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea issued the following report on March 13:

All constituencies across the country made public their registered candidates for the election of deputies to the 15th Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK at a time when a new journey toward greater transformation has started in hearty response to the grand struggle programme set forth by the Ninth Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea.

The registration of candidates for deputies was decided at the meetings of voters for examining the qualifications of candidates for deputies to the SPA according to the Law of the DPRK on the Elections of Deputies to the People's Assemblies at All Levels.

The meetings were attended by working people in relevant constituencies and officials of institutions, enterprises and organizations who can represent the will of the voters. They fully exercised the responsibility and rights granted by the voters.

The participants in the meetings fairly examined and appreciated whether the nominated candidates for deputies to the SPA have qualifications as representatives of the people and expressed support for the citizens who are enjoying deep trust of the masses for having made devoted efforts for the development of the country and the interests of the people with transparent loyalty to the leader, strong Party spirit, revolutionary spirit and popular spirit.

The constituency committees for the election of deputies to the 15th Supreme People's Assembly registered citizens who received a majority votes among the nominated candidates as candidates for deputies to be elected in relevant constituencies.

The constituency committees made public candidates for deputies registered at all polling booths and are introducing them. -0-

www.kcna.kp (2026.03.13.)

Regional Security Environment Is Getting Severe Due to Japanese Militarism: KCNA Commentary

Pyongyang, March 13 (KCNA) -- Japan's moves for reviving militarism, aimed at rearmament, are leading to full-scale deployment of preemptive attack means for action.

Shortly ago, the Ministry of Defence of Japan made public that type 12 surface-to-ship guided missiles with drastically increased firing range would be deployed for action in Kumamoto City for the first time.

Not content with this, Japan is planning to deploy surface-to-surface missiles for "defending islands" in Shizuoka Prefecture within this month and long-range missiles at the bases of the "Self-Defense Forces" in Hokkaido and Miyazaki prefectures in order from 2028.

If this plan comes true, Japan will have long-range missiles targeting the neighboring countries deployed in all parts of the archipelago.

It is a dangerous military attempt.

Openly saying that the development and deployment of long-range missiles constitute the "core of the capability of attacking enemy bases", Japan is concentrating huge human and material resources on them.

The type 12 missiles, the deployment of which Japan is trying to accelerate, are the ones remodeled for years to greatly increase the firing range, which can be launched from ground, warships and fighter jets. They put the waters off surrounding areas within their striking range.

They are also rated as long-range attack weapons because they have the multi-purpose capability to attack fixed targets on the ground including harbors and airports as well as marine targets.

The same can be said of the type of missiles Japan is planning to deploy for action while claiming that they are the ones for "defending the islands."

It can be well evidenced by the anti-ship missile for "defending the islands" which was made public with the assertion that it has long-range strike capability, based on stealth and interceptor evasion technology.

This missile is expected to be similar or more in striking range, compared to the type 12 anti-ship cruise missile with the firing range of 1 000 km. It will reportedly be updated in various forms in the future.

World media and military experts say that the missile can be loaded by various launchers, such as missile destroyers, escort ships, ground mobile launchers and fighters now possessed by the "Self-Defense Forces", analyzing that its firing range is second only to the U.S. Tomahawk cruise missiles in Japan.

Is the continuous development and deployment of different long-range strike means just for the "exclusive defense" as advocated by Japan?

No, it isn't. It is a part of the efforts for winding up its war preparations for launching reinvasion.

Japan is now making desperate efforts to justify its rearmament by trumpeting about "growing threat from neighboring countries" and "deteriorating security environment". And it is constantly filling all the spheres, including the ground, sea and space, with armed forces capable of attacking the neighboring countries by spending huge military expenditure while inciting the atmosphere of praising the past wars of aggression woven with heinous crimes through visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, etc.

Japan increased the import of weapons in 2021-2025 by 76 percent more than that in 2016-2020 and most of them are long-range strike means like Tomahawk cruise missiles. This clearly shows that Japan has recently become more active in securing the "capability of attacking enemy bases".

Japan, which has bolstered up its actual war capability in a diversified way by taking part in all military exercises staged in surrounding areas, is stepping up the deployment of long-range strike means for action while being hell-bent on the development and purchase of them. This fact proves that the time of their use is nearing.

It is needless to say that the targets of the long-range strike means are the neighboring countries including the DPRK, which Japan designated as "imminent threat" and "unprecedentedly biggest strategic challenge".

If Japan continues to behave in a foolish manner in despite of the strong concern and criticism of the world people, it will get involved in the bad thing of crossing the "red line," which surely incurs the "sinking" of the archipelago.

It is a reality that the regional security environment is getting more severe due to the revival of militarism of the war criminal state keen on reinvasion without any slightest guilty conscience of the past crimes. -0-

www.kcna.kp (2026.03.13.)

조선중앙통신 Copyr

Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un Inspects Major Munitions Factory

Pyongyang, March 12 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, inspected a major munitions factory under the Second Economy Commission on March 11 to learn about the munitions production.

Accompanying him were the members of the Central Military Commission of the WPK and leading officials of the WPK Central Committee.

The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un learned about the fact that the factory started the production of new pistols according to its approved design, examined and ratified by the Central Military Commission of the WPK on February 19, 2025.

Saying that the factory is playing a very important role in increasing the combat efficiency of the army, public security forces and militia forces as it takes full charge of producing pistols and other portable light arms, he stressed the need to expand and create the production capacity of the factory in a far-sighted way and set a high level in modernization of the production line and cultured way of production in conformity with the demand, requirements and standards specified by the Party and implement it in a responsible manner.

He urged the Second Economy Commission to decisively raise the level of technical equipment of major munitions industry enterprises, establish strict quality control regulations and order and supply materials and products under contract in a planned way so as to organize the economic work well for producing weapons of thoroughly guaranteed quality in a serial way.

He stressed once again the need for all the munitions industry enterprises under the Second Economy Commission to organize and conduct the work for establishing cultured ways in production and life at a more developed stage and continue to create model standards.

That day, he visited the shooting gallery of the factory to acquaint himself with the combat performance of the new-type pistol that went into production.

Saying that he received a report from the Ministry of National Defence and the General Staff on the unanimous impression that the new-type pistol is superior in its structural performance, rate of hits, concentration fire and combat utility, he expressed satisfaction over the development of a really excellent pistol.

He clarified his view on the opinion of the Second Economy Commission with regard to the issue of establishing a new production line in addition at the factory during the period of the five-year plan for the development of national defence, and gave an important instruction for its implementation.

He stressed that the new production line should be established at a high level to be a model for modernization of the country's munitions industry.

He said that the examination of the plan for modernization of munitions factories in the period of the new five-year plan and of the budget bill for immediate modernization of three major munitions industry enterprises would be conducted at an enlarged meeting of the Central Military Commission of the WPK to be convened in April.

Repeatedly expressing satisfaction over the development and production of the excellent pistol, he extended thanks to the officials, technicians and workers of the factory. -0-

www.kcna.kp (2026.03.12.)

Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un Sends Reply Message to General Secretary of C.C., LPRP

Pyongyang, March 11 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, sent a reply message to Thongloun Sisoulith, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, on March 10.

The reply message said:

Respected Comrade General Secretary,

I express deep thanks to you for sending warm and encouraging congratulations to me on my reelection as the general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea at the Ninth Congress of the WPK.

Your warm congratulations are valuable support and encouragement to our people's cause of struggle facing new goals.

Expressing belief that the traditional relations of friendship and cooperation between the two countries will be further developed thanks to the common efforts and will of all the members of the two parties and peoples of the two countries, I wish you good health and bigger success in fulfilling your important duty. -0-

www.kcna.kp (2026.03.11.)

The KAL 858-Mayumi case -old lies revisited

Some friends of KFA UK in Turkey told us that on Turkish social media some reactionaries brought up the old case of the ‘disappearance of KAL Flight 858  and Mayumi ‘which occurred in 1987 ,some 39 years ago . 

In those days the anti-DPRK propaganda tended to have a different focus whereas these days it is focussed on the nuclear question , ICBMs and the ‘human rights issue ‘  back in the 1980s one of the main anti-DPRK propaganda tropes was “terrorism “ with the DPRK being blamed for a number of incidents . One such incident was the disappearance of a south Korean airliner , flight KAL 858 disappeared over the Andaman Sea near Myanmar on the 29th of November 1987 . .Although most of the wreckage of the aircraft was not officially recovered at the time and apparently the “black box “ flight recorder was not recovered . However the south Korean puppets lost no time in blaming the DPRK for the incident which was used to frame the DPRK as a ‘state sponsor of terrorism ‘ and add the DPRK to the US list of “state sponsors of terrorism “.

Looking at the history of south Korean airlines , KAL , it is noticeable that the airline has a bad safety record with numerous crashes and incidents . Back in 1999 a KAL cargo plane exploded in the air above Stansted Airport in Essex , UK , are the south Korean puppets going to blame the DPRK for that ?

The case of KAL 858 was mysterious right from the start . For one thing apparently little wreckage and bodies were found at the time . However around the same time another plane crashed in the Indian ocean as a south Korean researcher pointed out  “ In fact, the South African Airways Flight 295 accident, in which all 159 people (47 Japanese) on board were killed, crashed into a deep trench at a depth of 3,600 meters, but the wreckage of the plane and its belongings, especially the black box, were recovered. In comparison, the KAL858, which disappeared with 115 people on board in the much shallower Andaman waters (about 60 meters), left suspicions as it hastily stopped the search without recovering any debris or black boxes”

So basically there was no real evidence that a ) Flight 858 had been bombed b) that the DPRK was responsible .

However , the south Korean puppets dramatically produced out of nowhere a so-called “north Korean terrorist “ or secret agent  ‘Mayumi’ or  ‘Kim Hyun-hee’ . Ms Kim’s case is very fishy . Supposedly she confessed to planting a bomb on the KAL aircraft after being shown around Seoul ! . Of course this is nonsense. This kind of thing might happen in films and TV but in real life it would take weeks or months or even years to break down a trained agent and force them to confess .

At the time the DPRK itself pointed out that there was no such person called Kim Hyun Hee with the same age and biographical data as suggested by the south Korean puppets. It was also very clear that the picture of the woman captured in Bahrain and the picture of the so-called secret agent Ms Kim were in fact different women . Later a former south Korean politician Jong Hui Son said that ‘Mayumi/Kim Hyun Hee’ was actually an actress .

Another detail is that supposedly the bomb on the aircraft was planted in a transistor radio and a bottle of liquor . However experts say that this would not be enough to destroy a Boeing 707 aircraft . Moreover , how was Ms Kim and her accomplice(who conveniently committed suicide ) able to smuggle the bomb on board to the aircraft but then leave the aircraft at a stopover but leave the bomb on board without anyone noticing ? This does not add up .

At the time the DPRK was committed to peaceful reunification with south Korea so would have no motive to bomb a south Korean airliner . Moreover the DPRK has always opposed individualistic terrorism 

In short the KAL 858 case was a frame up and a false flag operation against the DPRK  that was partly used for internal south Korean reasons namely to secure the election of south Korean puppet fascist Roh Tae Woo and to divert attention from internal problems but it was also used by the US to frame the DPRK as a “terrorist state “ and impose sanctions on the DPRK .

No one should be dredging up old worn out propaganda like the KAL 858 case !

Dr Dermot Hudson

KFA UK Chairman

Answer Given by Spokesperson for DPRK Foreign Ministry

Pyongyang, March 11 (KCNA) -- A spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea gave the following answer to a question raised by a journalist on March 10 as regards the fact that the U.S. and its vassal forces are getting undisguised in their intervention into the internal affairs of Iran over the recent election of its new leader of the Islamic Revolution:

We express serious concern over and strongly denounce the acts of aggression by the U.S. and Israel that are destroying the regional peace and security foundations and escalating instability worldwide by mounting illegal military attack on Iran.

Any rhetorical threats and military action, which violate the political system and territorial integrity of the relevant country, interfere in its internal affairs and openly advocate the attempt to overthrow its social system, deserve worldwide criticism and rejection as they can never be tolerated.

With regard to the recent official announcement that Iran's Assembly of Experts elected the new leader of the Islamic Revolution, we respect the rights and choice of the Iranian people to elect their supreme leader. -0-

www.kcna.kp (2026.03.11.)

Destroyer Choe Hyon Conducts Test-Fire of Strategic Cruise Missiles

Pyongyang, March 11 (KCNA) -- Amid the continued tests of operational efficiency of the Destroyer Choe Hyon of the Navy of the Korean People's Army, a strategic cruise missile test-fire was conducted again on March 10.

The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un observed the test-fire on TV.

The test-fire on the destroyer was aimed at evaluating the reliability of the national integrated control system of strategic weapons and the destroyer's detection and weapon systems and verifying the combat effectiveness of the integrated combat system in technical aspects, Kim Jong Un said, adding that on the other hand, it is to demonstrate the Navy's strategic attack posture and make sailors well versed in relevant military activities.

The Destroyer Choe Hyon received target information, and the launch was approved according to relevant procedures and cruise missiles launched simultaneously to hit several targets.

The launched cruise missiles flew along the flight orbit set in the sky above the West Sea of Korea for 10 116s to 10 138s and hit the individual island targets.

Kim Jong Un expressed his great satisfaction over the verified reliability of the national integrated control system of strategic weapons and superiority of the destroyer's integrated combat system.

He gave important instructions on reexamining in our own way the organization of weapon systems of the destroyer, to be built in the future, in the light of the actual requirements in military aspects and from the development-oriented view.

Underlining the need to examine the military efficiency of the naval automatic gun installed on the warship in the light of our specific conditions, he expressed his view that it is more favorable to enhance the anti-warship and strategic attack capabilities, as required by operational features, by equipping high-speed warships of below 3 000 tonnage with such naval automatic guns and additionally installing supersonic weapon systems instead of those guns on the 5 000-tonnage, 8 000-tonnage destroyers in the future.

He gave an instruction on examining the plan of organizing such Korean-style weapon system and applying it to the warships to be built, including the third destroyer under construction.

Saying that it is a very important strategic task to maintain and expand the powerful and reliable nuclear war deterrent, he said:

"The components of our war deterrent are now being included in the very sophisticated operational system in an effective and accelerated manner continuously and the country's nuclear forces have made a switch to the phase of multifaceted operation.

Important successes have been recently made in putting the strategic and tactical strike means on a practical basis and deploying them for an actual war.

Such successes have updated the readiness of our army for strategic action and enhanced the confidence in it.

Our belief and confidence based on those verified capabilities make it possible to take the initiative in the military activities for national defence and will play an important role in further developing our potential."

He stressed that the DPRK's offensive weapon systems undergoing constant development constitute an indispensable factor for self-defence literally.

He set forth a series of important tasks for rapidly increasing the fighting efficiency of the Navy, including the issue of delivering the destroyer to the Navy within the set time by finishing the assessment of its maneuverability and the operational capabilities of its such other weapon systems as anti-air, anti-submarine and torpedo weapon systems, the issue of stepping up the building of another destroyer to finish it before the founding anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea this year and the issue of reinforcing the existing infrastructure of the naval base and building new one. -0-

www.kcna.kp (2026.03.11.)