North Korea: Kim Jong-un Celebrates Ten Years in Power Touting ‘Overwhelming Military Power’

Communist dictator Kim Jong-un of North Korea applauded his military leaders and scientists, state media reported on Monday, for developing “overwhelming military power that cannot be stopped by anyone” during a photo session to commemorate the launch of a purported intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

Pyongyang confirmed the launch of a weapon it dubbed the Hwasongpho-17, a “new-type ICBM,” last week. Government media networks, the only legal way to obtain news in the country, claimed the missiles were nuclear-capable and a direct threat to the United States.

Kim is celebrating ten years in power as the supreme leader of North Korea this week, succeeding his father Kim Jong-il and grandfather Kim Il-sung, now worshipped as gods. North Korean media outlets celebrated on Monday with the publication of images from a photo exhibition sharing highlights of the youngest Kim’s tenure as absolute dictator.

South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency, citing Pyongyang regime newspaper Rodong Sinmun, reported that the “exhibition features photo and video materials of the leader’s activities during his rule, including that of Kim giving a speech at an event marking the 76th founding anniversary of the ruling party last year.” The photo exhibition news does not appear in the English-language online page of Rodong Sinmun, only on the Korean language page, where the newspaper celebrated the “immortal achievements” of the dictators that preceded Kim and applauded the current leader for brilliantly completing the revolutionary cause.” The event reportedly took place on Sunday.

The exhibition reportedly featured various photos of Kim delivering speeches at communist bureaucratic events such as the “Fourth Conference of Representatives of the Workers’ Party of Korea” and the “Central Committee at the Seventh Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea.”

Yonhap noted that Kim became the “first secretary” of the Korean Workers’ Party, the communist ruling entity, on April 11, 2012, and that North Korea will likely hold several large-scale events to mark the ten-year anniversary of his rule. Kim was believed to be about 28 years old at the time of his ascent to power.

Kim also held a photo session with scientists, engineers, and military leaders associated with the development of the Hwasongpho-17 ICBM, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the main regime news agency, reported on Monday.

“We must be strong under whatever circumstances to defend peace, accelerate socialist construction and be responsible for the security of the rising generations, free from any threat,” KCNA paraphrased Kim as saying.

“He said that only when one is equipped with the formidable striking capabilities, overwhelming military power that cannot be stopped by anyone, one can prevent a war,” KCNA continued, referring to Kim Jong-un, “guarantee the security of the country and contain and put under control all threats and blackmails by the imperialists.”

Communist governments, including North Korea’s, regularly use the term “imperialists” or “the empire” to refer to the United States.

Kim reportedly insisted that North Korea’s nuclear power “cannot be bartered nor be bought with anything.”

South Korean military leaders announced on Thursday that they had evidence that North Korea had launched a large-scale projectile which North Korea later identified as the Hwasongpho-17 ICBM, meant to enhance “state nuclear force.” It then published several photos of the launch through its state media arms that showed Kim dressed in a leather jacket marching in front of the large missile and smiling and laughing as it launched. Images airing on national television, which the Kim regime fully controls, featured action-movie images of Kim walking in slow motion at the launch site set to dramatic music.

If North Korea’s claim of developing a new ICBM is true, it is the first time since 2017 that Pyongyang has launched such a projectile. The country’s media described the missile as meant to directly threaten America, which North Korea has technically been at war with since 1950.

The missile launch occurred shortly after South Korea’s presidential election this month, which resulted in a close victory for President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol. Yoon, a conservative, campaigned on a platform of once again aligning South Korea’s policy on the North with America after current leftist President Moon Jae-in proposed a policy of concessions and engagement with the Kim regime. Moon regularly attempted to convince the international community to expand dialogue with North Korea without demanding concessions to its nuclear program, and launched several initiatives to that end, including establishing a “liaison office” in North Korea to facilitate immediate communication across the border. North Korea bombed the office in 2020.

“He [Kim] said that any forces should be made to be well aware of the fact that they will have to pay a very dear price before daring to attempt to infringe upon the security of our country,” Rodong Sinmun relayed on Friday. “He stressed that our national defence forces would possess formidable military and technical capabilities unperturbed by any military threat and blackmail and keep themselves fully ready for long-standing confrontation with the U.S. imperialists.”

South Korea’s JoongAng Ilbo, citing anonymous sources in the local government, claimed on Monday that both Seoul and Washington had confirmed the Hwasongpho-17 “had two engine nozzles, like the Hwasong-15 that was test-fired in 2017, instead of the Hwasong-17, which has four nozzles. The engine combustion time of the first-stage rocket was also similar to that of the Hwasong-15.” JoongAng Ilbo did not elaborate on what these specifics mean for the missile’s ability to hit targets in the continental United States.

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