KCNA Commentary on Scramble among Regional Powers for Sphere of Influence

  Pyongyang, January 23 (KCNA) -- The situation remains very tense in Northeast Asia.
    The political and military stand-off is growing ever more acute between China and Japan, in particular.
    On Jan. 9 several Chinese fighters and those of the "Self-Defense Forces" of Japan flew close to each other in the air over the Strait of Tsushima.
    These encounters of fighters of the two countries pushed the situation in the region to a touch-and go-situation.
    As regards Japan's protest against the above-said incident, the Chinese military clarified its stand that it is a "routine drill" and "Japan seems to be not accustomed to such drill as the Chinese People's Liberation Army conducts a few similar rehearsals."
    The Chinese side openly claims that "China may go as it pleases and there is no need to discuss with Japanese what it does there."
    Japan does not hide the fact that it targets China, stepping up its moves for militarization after building legal and institutional mechanisms for meeting the requirements of a "war state."
    The U.S. is becoming evermore undisguised in its provocative military moves to contain China politically and militarily in the region.
    It has deployed the bulk of its strategic nuclear force in the region pursuant to its scenario for dominating Asia-Pacific. It is putting spurs to rounding off the triangular military "cooperation" involving the U.S., south Korea and Japan and its arms buildup.
    Owing to the above-said moves, the situation in Northeast Asia is inching close to such dangerous phase that a nuclear war may break out and rendering the arms race in the region fiercer.
    The reality goes to prove that the tension is escalating in the region not because of the DPRK's measures for bolstering up its capability for self-defence but due to the U.S. provocative muscle flexing and scramble among regional powers for sphere of influence in the region.
    The on-going scramble is not comparable with the conflict in the last century due to the persistence of the strategies and the level of the modern forces involved.
    Whenever the DPRK took a measure for self-defence, some countries demanded any action deteriorating the situation be halted as if something serious happened. Now they had better find logical words to say. -0-

U.S. Arms Buildup Brings Tension: KCNA Commentary

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    Pyongyang, January 23 (KCNA) -- A fresh tension has been created in the Asia-Pacific region from the outset of the new year due to the U.S.
    In the wake of deploying sophisticated F-35B stealth fighters in its military base in Japan, the U.S. decided to dispatch B-1B strategic bombers and F-22 stealth fighters to its air-force base in Australia.
    It is the first time that F-35B has been put on permanent standby overseas by the U.S. It is planning to expand the radius of the operation of F-35B in Northeast Asia, notably moving the matrix port of assault landing ship mounted with those fighters to the southern area of Japan from the U.S. mainland next year.
    In the wake of paving a way for the deployment of multi-purpose modern SM-6 missiles in areas of south Korea, Japan and Australia, Washington also clarified that it would send ultra-modern high-performance early warning plane E-2D Hawk Eye to Japan.
    This indiscriminate arms buildup of the U.S. has sparked off serious concern of the international community as it is a dangerous act of harassing peace and stability not only on the Korean peninsula but also in the rest of Asia-Pacific.
    The main purpose of the U.S. pivot to Asia-Pacific strategy is to contain and deter big regional powers and establish its domination in reliance on military upper-hand and nuclear edge.
    It is in pursuance of this strategy that the majority of the U.S. strategic nuclear force has been concentrated on Asia-pacific and the region is witnessing the establishment of the triad nuclear carrier system, improvement of performance of already-deployed strategic nuclear bombers and nuclear missiles, and development and deployment of high-output laser artillery pieces, unmanned tactical vehicles and ultra-fast strike weapons.
    Triangular military "cooperation" among the U.S., Japan and south Korea has also been boosted.
    The U.S. is describing its "alliance" with south Korea and Japan as "cornerstone" and "core axis" of its Asia-Pacific strategy and using them as a shock brigade in executing its strategy.
    Shortly ago, an American political commentator in an article said that the U.S. Asia policy orientation depends on Trump doctrine.
    He continued that the truth of return to Asia policy was disclosed during the Obama administration but the U.S. had worked under concrete plan to form a triangular military alliance with Japan and south Korea since several decades ago.
    The U.S. claims the alliance is to tackle nuclear threat from north Korea but the essence is to use Japan and south Korea for realizing its strategy of domination over neighboring countries and several regions in the world, he said, adding that if Japan is a suitable location for the armed forces of the three services of the U.S., south Korea is the only base for its ground force to set its foot in the Asian continent and that the U.S. forces present in south Korea is targeting other forces in the Asian continent from every aspect, not just to cope with nuclear threat from north Korea.
    The tripartite military "cooperation" is also being expanded as part of the second-phase process of the Asia-Pacific rebalancing strategy.
    The U.S. facilitated signing of an agreement on protection of military intelligence between south Korea and Japan under the pretext of "nuclear and missile threats from the DPRK" and allowed establishment of Aegis naval missile shield linking the U.S. and Japan and the overseas dispatch of the Japan "Self-defence Forces".
    The U.S. is stepping up the arms buildup to realize its Asia-Pacific strategy while spreading the story of "threat" from someone but it can never cover up its criminal intention.
    The situation clearly proves that peace and security on the Korean peninsula situated in Asia-Pacific, Northeast Asia to be specific, present themselves as a very important international issue.
    Countries need to heighten vigilance against the ill-boding arms buildup of the U.S. -0-

The First Heroes Turning Misfortunes into Blessing

The last of August Juche 105(2016) people in North Hamgyong Province suffered a disaster by flood and storm coming to northern part of the DPRK.

The WPK appealed to win the miraculous victory of turning misfortunes into blessing by great power of uniting around the Workers’ Party of Korea.

There was a news enveloping the whole country seething excitement and agitation in the historical period when the battle to safeguard people, the battle to serve people was under the way with miracles and creations by highly upholding the WPK’s call in fronts of flood-hit areas in northern part.

Marshal Kim Jong Un called tens of thousands-odd members of the Children’s Union in North Hamgyong Province who lost their schools, houses and parents by flood to the Songdowon international Children’s Camp.

The front-line trains going to the all areas of north by minutes stopped for camping trains and doctors from the Okryu Children’s Hospital went to Songdowon for treatment of children’s health by an express train.

Camping children’s merry laughter echoed endlessly in an aquarium, a mirror cage, indoor stadium, a video games room and outdoor playground thanks to the officials, leading teachers and employees of the camp.

Everyone could see the children were happy with their birthday-tables in the restaurant that led out of the cooking practice room.

Children had a sea-bath in Songdowon and all kinds of camping activities including exhibition of tact, competition of find-out, boy sports tournament.

Camping Children went up the mountains of Masikryong and looked down slopes and its ranges stretched long and had colorful trip by cableway.

The schoolchildren who were full of emotion and happiness went up the top of mountains of Masikryong and sang loudly a song of “Marshal Kim Jong Un is our father.” and “We are the happiest in the world.” as they looked up at the sky of Pyongyang.

A schoolgirl from Kangson Senior Middle School who lost her father wrote in a diary as follows:

“I won’t cry anymore. Because Marshal Kim Jong Un is our father and our house is Party’s bosom.”

The world people who were full with emotion said that first heroes turning misfortunes into blessing is the just those who camped at twice in the Songdowon International Children’s camping.

Modernized Pyongyang Cornstarch Factory

The Pyongyang Cornstarch Factory, a large-scale foodstuff processing base has been excellently reconstructed in keeping with the requirement of knowledge-based economy and the appearance of socialist civilized nation.

The officials, scientists, technicians and workers of this factory set up a bold and audacious standard to make the factory permeated with the history of love for the people of President Kim Il Sung and Chairman Kim Jong Il a leading foodstuff base, struggling for its accomplishment and achieving great success in completing the vast modernization project.

What is most remarkable in its modernization it produces sugar from home-grown maize.

The factory has perfectly established the modern production processing to process maize by an industrial method to produce various sugar, so as to strengthen the Juche character of foodstuff industry.

It has also introduced the strict quality control system and realized to make all the production processes including maize processing and those of millet jelly, okdang sugar, cake and sweets and automated, streamlined, sterilized and dust-free on a high level, so as to save the labor as much as possible as well as boost the production ability radically and ensure the sanitary safety completely.

It has set up the process to produce maize oil and animal feed by making use of by-product obtained in the maize processing.

What is noteworthy in the factory’s modernization is that over 95 percent of its equipment are homemade.

Besides ultramodern equipment at the general analysis room, it has fully set up production process of from raw material feeding to products packing with latest homemade equipment to accomplish domestic production line of the Party.

Marshal Kim Jong Un who visited the Pyongyang Cornstarch Factory on June 15 Juche 105(2016) was so satisfied, saying that they have boldly carried out vast and difficult modernization project relying on their own efforts and technology.

The success of the factory is now a noble example achieved in the battle to create self-development upholding the slogan of Juche-orientation.

A Frontline Post

Korean people met unexpected exigency, who had been pushing forward the 200-day campaign of loyalty to glorify this year as the golden year when the Seventh Congress of the WPK was held.

Several cities and counties suffered from the severe natural disasters caused by the strongest storm and heaviest downpour in meteorological observation since the liberation of Korea in 1945 that hit the areas along Tuman River in the northern tip of Korea.

Tens of thousands dwelling houses, public buildings collapsed and railways, roads, other traffic networks and power supply system were destroyed and submerged.

This disaster left the people homeless in the northern tip of Hamgyong Province to suffer from the great hardships.

The WPK made a great decision of directing the main trust of 200-day campaign to the campaign for recovering from the flood damages in above-said areas and weathering the difficulties with the might of great unity between the army and people in the view of the emergency situation.

Upholding the decision of the WPK the whole Party and army and all the people rose up in the campaign for recovering the damages.

The WPK took the measure of stopping the construction of the Ryomyong Street in the finishing stage and directing all the units, equipment and materials for the construction of the Ryomyong Street to the front of northern area.

The WPK sent to the people the appeal to achieve the miraculous victory of converting the misfortune into the favorable conditions by putting in a great deal of money on the rehabilitation operation and tapping the whole assets because the news to the removal of the homeless people was more important thousands times than the completion of the Ryomyong Street.

The service personnel took the most difficult object in the operation for the recovering of the flood-damage and arrived there earlier than others and made the breakthrough in the rehabilitation operation.

Many builders and soldiers in shock brigades volunteered for the rehabilitation construction from the flood-damage and everyday performed heroic feats in building the dwelling houses.

The leading officials of the Party and state went to the production site and inspired the workers to supply the cement, iron and steel, food and daily necessaries for the rehabilitation operation and carry them in time.

The material supported including food and medicines were continued with no break.

So they created the miracles of converting the misfortune into the favorable conditions to settle down the life of the people in damaged area by constructing over 11 900 dwelling houses, kinder gardens and schools in short period of over 60 days.

50 Paper Bags of Venison Meal

This is the story in the period of anti-Japanese armed struggle organized and led by President Kim Il Sung.

He had bad nights by being apprehensive for the safety of small units acting in several places.

So he had his members bury food and new winter clothes under the place of campfire for the members of small unit that would be come to there whenever shifting into the camping site.

One day they caught a big deer on the way of marching.

That evening they prepared venison soup and he said to his members to dry left venison and grind into meal.

Also he said not to put all venison meal into a sack, but to divide into 50 portions and put into paper bags.

Then he wrote the names of his members lost contact every paper bags one by one.

After a while he called an orderly and said that they kept these bags well and gave them when meeting the small unit.

The anecdote about 50 paper bags of venison meal came into being like this.

It was associated with warm affection of President Kim Il Sung who thought first revolutionary comrades under adverse conditions.

Kim Jong Un Inspects KPA Unit 1314

 Pyongyang, January 22 (KCNA) -- Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army

Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea and chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK, inspected Unit of KPA 1314 honored with the Title of O Jung Hup-led 7th Regiment.     Kim Jong Un went round the monument to the field guidance given by leader Kim Jong Il to the unit in December 2003.
    After going round the unit, he recalled that Kim Jong Il gave instructions for preparing soldiers to be fighters strong in idea and faith, rounding off the combat readiness and improving supply service. He stressed the need for the commanding officers and combatants to thoroughly implement the behests of Kim Jong Il.
    Then he went to the lecture room of O Jung Hup Political University.
    After learning in detail about the education of O Jung Hup Political University, he underscored the necessity to give effective lectures as required by the mentality and characters of soldiers. To this end it is necessary to properly work out an education program, steadily improve the education contents and methods and ceaselessly raise the level of teachers and, at the same time, fully provide material and technical means for education, he said. He showed loving care for the unit.
    There is nothing to fear when people remain strong in idea and the army is powerful, he noted, adding that the standoff with the enemy is the confrontation between arms and arms and between the idea and faith of the KPA and those of the enemy. He called for beating back the enemies armed to the teeth with the political and ideological superiority of the soldiers fully equipped with that idea and faith.
    He looked round the mess hall and soy bean store of the unit.
    He learnt about the combat duty, combat readiness and training of the unit at the military lecture room.
    He set forth the tasks facing the unit that would serve as guidelines for rounding off its combat preparations and bolstering up its combat capability.
    He gave service personnel a pair of binoculars and an automatic rifle as gifts and had a photo session with them.
    Accompanying him were KPA Vice Marshal Hwang Pyong So, director of the KPA General Political Bureau, and Army Col. General Ri Yong Gil, first vice-chief of the General Staff and director of the General Operational Bureau of the KPA