[all photos]

[조선어] [English] [Русский] [中国语] [日本語]

There took place a splendid military parade at Kim Il Sung Square here in the evening on January 14 to commemorate the 8th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK).

The band of the State Affairs Commission (SAC) and the central military band of the Ministry of Defence took the peculiarly-decorated bandstand to play parade music.

Parade columns entered the square with the pride and honor.

Columns of mechanized units which would demonstrate the inexhaustible might of the armed forces of the Republic were on standby on the avenues leading to the square.

Air squadrons for the parade were waiting for order of sorties.

Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the WPK, chairman of the SAC of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and supreme commander of the armed forces of the DPRK, appeared at the tribune of the square.

Cheers of "Hurrah!" for Supreme Leader and chanting shouts of "Kim Jong Un" and "Devoted Defence" rocked the heaven and earth and fireworks brightly decorated the nocturnal sky.

He warmly waved back to the enthusiastically cheering paraders and masses.

Children presented fragrant flowers to him and leading officials of the Party, the government and the military.

Taking the tribune were Comrades Choe Ryong Hae, Jo Yong Won, Ri Pyong Chol, and Kim Tok Hun.

Members of the 8th Party central leadership body and commanding officials of the military appeared at the tribune.

Invited to the tribune were Comrades Kim Yong Nam, Choe Yong Rim, Yang Hyong Sop, Kim Ki Nam, Choe Thae Bok, Kim Kyong Ok, Ri Yong Mu and Pak Pong Ju who had worked for a long time in the Party, the government and the military.

Present at the reserved seats for guests were the participants in the 8th Congress of the WPK and special guests.

Amid the playing of the song "The Glorious Country", a salute of 21 guns boomed.

Kim Jong Gwan, minister of Defence of the DPRK, made an address.

Then, there was a ceremony of hoisting the national flag.

All the participants paid high respect to the national flag.

KPA Marshal Pak Jong Chon, chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army (KPA), made a report to KPA Marshal Ri Pyong Chol, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of the WPK, that parade units lined up to be reviewed for the parade commemorating the 8th Congress of the WPK.

Comrade Ri Pyong Chol reviewed the parade units.

He courteously reported to the general secretary of the WPK that the military parade for commemorating the 8th Congress of the WPK was ready to start.

The parade began led by the command car with Marshal Pak Jong Chon on, amid the play of dynamic march music.

The column of the honor cavalrymen ran past the square with the firm will of the service personnel of the People's Army to make a dynamic advance of loyalty and march of faith for implementing the decision made at the Party's congress in the spirit shown by the great brilliant commander when looking round the Mt Paektu area on horseback.

Entering the square following it were the fine arrays of columns of loyal lifeguards, showing that the mission of paramount importance for our revolutionary armed forces is to devotedly defend the Party Central Committee.

The columns of the first and the second corps marched past with dignity, demonstrating their pride as the eldest corps and the unit where the a-match-for-a-hundred spirit was born.

They were followed by the columns of the fourth corps standing guard over the gate to the southwestern part of the country and the fifth corps, backbone corps of the People's Army, flying colors with proud military merits.

Making powerful strides toward the square were columns of the navy and the air and anti-air force.

The masses warmly applauded the column of the strategic force.

The columns of ground, sea and air snipers and lightly-armed infantrymen demonstrated the spirit of invincibility of the revolutionary armed forces of a-match-for-a-hundred that have nurtured their wisdom and courage of annihilating the enemies under the care of the great brilliant commander.

The columns of corps of anti-aircraft artillerymen, 91st corps and 3rd corps standing guard over the capital city of Pyongyang and the columns of the corps defending the coasts and border gateway of the country as firm as an iron wall marched past in fine arrays.

The columns of tank units and columns of mechanized infantry divisions rolled past the square, displaying the might of the revolutionary armed forces that have grown to be invincible elite forces.

They were followed by columns of mountain warfare infantrymen and reconnoiters and such professional arms as electronic harassment unit and then the column of armed mobile unit for public security which marched past demonstrating heroic spirit.

The Supreme Leader warmly acknowledged the marchers.

Then there was flight, paying respect to the great Party Central Committee.

Following the formation of guard planes, the red hawks of the Party, in the pattern of the Party emblem, flew past the sky above the square letting off the fireworks to brighten the sky.

The column of planes depicted number "8" with fireworks in the nocturnal sky, reflecting the happiness and emotion of glorifying the 8th Congress of the Party as another political event of special record in the militant path of our Party.

The columns of mechanized units began their procession led by the column of armored vehicles.

The column of prototype tanks roared past the square, which was followed by those of ultra-modern tactical rockets.

This was followed by the procession of the ultra-modern self-propelled artillery pieces, grandly showing off the might of our artillery force.

The columns of rockets possessed of powerful striking capability for thoroughly annihilating enemies in a preemptive way outside the territory, roared past.

Other proud-worthy Juche-type weapons rolled past the square one after another, demonstrating to the world how our defence industry built up tremendous might since it started its first step with the production of sub-machine gun after the liberation of the country, while covering the untrodden path of army-building.

The world's most powerful weapon, submarine-launch ballistic missile, entered the square one after another, powerfully demonstrating the might of the revolutionary armed forces.

The people raised cheers as it demonstrated the tremendous might of our Party which accomplished the great cause of building a wealthy country with a powerful army, the 5000 years-old desire of the nation, in such a short period of five years of fierce struggle between the 7th Congress of the Party and the 8th Congress of the Party.

At the end of the military parade, fireworks were shot off again.

The Supreme Leader warmly waved back to the enthusiastically cheering crowds.

The square was full of high revolutionary enthusiasm of all the participants determined to always follow the path of our-style socialism, full of confidence and optimism about the bright future with great national pride and honor of making the revolution under the leadership of Comrade Kim Jong Un.

KPA Will Ensure Party's New Historic Advance with Strongest Military Power

Kim Jong Gwan, minister of Defence of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, made a speech at the military parade for commemorating the 8th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) on Thursday.

The speaker said that the military parade would serve as a historic occasion in demonstrating at home and abroad once again the militant spirit and tremendous power of our heroic armed forces that defend and uphold in the van the revolutionary cause of the WPK led by Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un and vigorously encouraging the whole Party, all the people and the entire army to the struggle in the new era ushered in by the 8th Congress of the Party.

The majestic elite units and invincible iron-clad ranks of the Republic which will proudly pass Kim Il Sung Square represent our absolute power, he said, and went on:

The path we are following is the most sacred and worthwhile one that leads our socialist Korea to the future when it will be more powerful and prosperous and our strongest power lies in the harmonious whole and the single-minded unity in which the whole Party, all the people and the entire army are firmly united as one around the Supreme Leader.

The armed forces of the Republic will always remain faithful to the order and instructions of the Supreme Leader only and successfully fulfill their duty and mission at the forefront of the revolution entrusted by the Party.

The armed forces of the Republic will strictly contain any military threats in the region of the Korean peninsula and preemptively use the strongest offensive power to thoroughly smash the hostile forces if they jeopardize the security of our state even a bit, and firmly defend the security of the country and the people and our socialist system.

Our army will ensure the new historic advance of the Workers' Party of Korea with the strongest military power.

We will surely win a victory as we are led by respected Comrade Kim Jong Un.

Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un Has Photo Session with Participants in Military Parade

Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and supreme commander of the armed forces of the DPRK, had a photo session with the participants in the military parade for commemorating the 8th Congress of the WPK on Jan. 16.

Present there were Ri Pyong Chol, member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the WPK and vice-chairman of the WPK Central Military Commission, and leading officials of armed forces organs Pak Jong Chon, Kwon Yong Jin, Kim Jong Gwan and Ri Yong Gil.

The participants were filled with great excitement as they were honored to have a photo taken with the Supreme Leader at Kim Il Sung Square where the military parade for celebrating the 8th Party Congress was splendidly held in the presence of the Supreme Leader.

When the Supreme Leader arrived at the venue of the photo session, all the participants broke into thunderous cheers of "Hurrah!", extending the highest glory to him who helped them bear deeper in their minds the historic mission of the revolutionary army of the Party by making sure that a historic advance toward a new victory of our-style socialism is begun after significant celebration of the Party congress with a grand parade of the revolutionary armed forces.

The Supreme Leader warmly waved back to the members of the military parade who demonstrated through the military parade to the whole world the might of the army of the WPK remaining boundlessly loyal to the Party and people and the most powerful elite army surpassing the world level in its military technology, and expressed full support for the strategic line of our Party with their strong will to take the lead in making a breakthrough for implementation of the decision made at the 8th Party Congress.

Expressing belief that our revolutionary armed forces would fulfill their mission and duty as the driving force of national defence and the genuine people's army firmly safeguarding the country and people, he posed for a picture with the participants in the military parade.

At the end of the photo session, all the participants again broke into stormy cheers of "hurrah!" and continuous shouts of "Kim Jong Un" and "devoted defence".

They took an oath of loyalty to devotedly defend the Party Central Committee headed by the Supreme Leader with invincible arms and fully demonstrate the mightiness of the powerful revolutionary army in the forefront of the all-people offensive for implementing the struggle programme set forth at the 8th Party congress.