THE EMBASSY OF THE DEMOCRATIC
PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF KOREA TO SWITZERLAND
Pourtalésstrasse 43 Tel: +41-31 951 6621
3074 Muri/Bern Switzerland Fax: +41-31 951 5704
E-mail: dprk.embassy@bluewin.ch
No 98/23 December 20, 2023
1. Launch Drill of ICBM Hwasongpho-18 Conducted
2. Statement by Spokesman for DPRK Ministry of National Defence
3. Kim Jong Il, the Sun of Humankind
4. A Boost to the DPRK’s Defence Capabilities
Clear Display of DPRK Strategic Forces' Toughest Retaliation Will and Overwhelming Strength
Launch Drill of ICBM Hwasongpho-18 Conducted
Pyongyang, December 19 (KCNA) -- The Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) gave an order to take a powerful warning measure under the grave situation, in which the hostile forces' anti-DPRK military threat that has persisted for the whole of this year is getting evermore undisguised and dangerous even at this moment of year-end December.
On December 15, the U.S. and the military of the Republic of Korea held a nuclear war confab called the second meeting of the "Nuclear Consultative Group" in Washington and openly revealed their intention to conduct large-scale joint drills under the simulated conditions of an actual war of "nuclear retaliatory strike" at the DPRK, again crying out for the "end of its regime".
Such reckless behavior of the enemies, posing evident threat to the security of the Korean peninsula and the region under the eyes of the world in the coming year, is further touching off the strong resentment of the government and armed forces of the DPRK and their will to take the toughest retaliation.
The enemies have determinedly strained the regional situation by staging various kinds of escalated military drills targeting the DPRK every month since January, recording the largest-ever level. And they are now loudly announcing the planned war drills aggressive in nature to be further detailed in the new year. The present situation clearly shows the inveterate confrontation stand of the U.S. and its predominant stooges keen on their unchangeable instinctive and constitutional ambition for aggression and predicts a black augury of total destruction of the security environment in the Korean peninsula to be further aggravated.
What should not be overlooked is the fact that the U.S. again dispatched its nuclear-powered submarine Missouri to the Korean peninsula, as an extremely provocative action, on Dec. 17 to pose a more grave threat to the security environment of the DPRK and the region, loudly advertising about it, not content with the frequent deployment of nuclear war hardware of various kinds including nuclear strategic bombers, super-large strategic nuclear submarine and nuclear carrier in the Korean peninsula to turn it into an assembly base for all the U.S. nuclear strategic assets.
Due to the confrontational maneuvers of the U.S. and its military who are escalating the tension on the Korean peninsula, going in and out the region like their house, the territory of the DPRK and its boundary area are exposed to serious danger every moment and its security and interests are extremely violated. This grave situation is urgently requiring the DPRK to inevitably turn over to a changed action, a more offensive counteraction.
Under the decision of the WPK Central Military Commission on neutralizing the enemies' intentional and premeditated confrontational military threats with our strong behavioral warning, a drill of launching ICBM Hwasongpho-18 was staged as an important military action to clearly show the DPRK's nuclear strategic forces' overwhelming counteraction will and matchless strength to the enemies.
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, watched the launching drill of an ICBM unit on the spot.
Accompanying him were commanding officers of the DPRK General Missile Bureau.
The drill was aimed to review the combat readiness of the DPRK's nuclear war deterrence and confirm its mobility, combat capability and reliability.
The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un listened to the plan for the launching drill, acquainting himself with the preparation for launch in a standby district beforehand.
Then he mounted the central command observation post to approve the launch of a strategic weapon, and General Jang Chang Ha, general director of the General Missile Bureau, issued a launch order to the Second Red Flag Company.
The moment, a huge body full of the absolute will and strength to mercilessly retaliate against the hostile forces obsessed with the ambition for nuclear confrontation with the DPRK began soaring into the sky with a shower of fire in its tail, making a deafening explosion.
The missile traveled up to a maximum altitude of 6 518.2 km and flew a distance of 1 002.3 km for 4 415s before accurately landing on the preset area in the open waters off the East Sea of Korea.
The launching drill had no negative effect on the security of the neighboring countries.
Through the drill, the combat capability of ICBM unit was highly estimated. And also verified once again were the rapid response posture of the strategic armed forces of the DPRK and the reliability of the most powerful strategic core striking means of the DPRK's military muscle.
Expressing great satisfaction over the results of the launching drill, Kim Jong Un said with pride that the successful drill is a practical demonstration of the actual condition and reliability of the formidable striking capabilities and absolute nuclear war deterrent possessed by the DPRK's armed forces.
He said that the launching drill sent a clear signal to the hostile forces, who have fanned up their reckless military confrontation hysteria against the DPRK all the year round and are frantically maximizing it till the end of this year despite the repeated stern warnings and denunciation by the DPRK. Noting that it was an occasion to clearly show what action the DPRK has been prepared and what option the DPRK would take when Washington makes a wrong decision against it, he appreciated that the drill once again and strikingly displayed the DPRK's will for toughest counteraction and its overwhelming strength.
The U.S. imperialists and their vassal forces' vicious ambition for confrontation will not abate of its own accord, he said, stressing the need for the DPRK to never overlook all the reckless and irresponsible military threats of the enemies destroying the basis of peace and security in the Korean peninsula and to strongly counter them with more offensive actions by adopting a more evolutionary and threatening way when the enemies continue to make a wrong choice.
He inspected the launching drill and set forth some new important tasks for accelerating the development of the DPRK's nuclear strategic forces.
The ceaseless bolstering of the national defence capability and the overwhelming counteraction are the consistent and immutable revolutionary policy and fighting spirit of the DPRK that can never change to defend the national dignity, sovereignty and interests. The nuclear strategic forces of the DPRK will perfect their military posture with more accuracy and confidence to resolutely suppress any grave military crisis and war crisis that may come at any moment.
Statement by Spokesman for DPRK Ministry of National Defence
Pyongyang, December 17 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the Ministry of National Defence of the DPRK on Sunday made public the following statement titled "The hostile forces' any attempt to use nuke will face a preemptive and deadly counteraction":
The U.S. and the military of the Republic of Korea, who have aggravated the situation in the Korean peninsula with their reckless military provocations such as deployment of nuclear strike means and large-scale joint military drills throughout this year, are going to finish the end of the year with a preview of a nuclear war.
The U.S. and ROK warmongers held the second meeting of the "Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG)" in Washington on Dec. 15. They opened to the public that they would complete the "guidelines on nuclear strategic plan and its operation" and the establishment of "extended deterrence system" by the middle of next year and conduct a nuclear operation drill during the large-scale joint military exercises Ulji Freedom Shield in August of next year.
This is an open declaration on nuclear confrontation to make the use of nuclear weapons against the DPRK a fait accompli in case of emergency and examine the operational procedures for its implementation in an atmosphere of real war.
The revolutionary armed forces of the DPRK strongly denounce the reckless military moves of the U.S. and the military of the ROK who are maximizing the tension in and around the Korean peninsula with hostile and provocative acts against the DPRK until the end of the year.
Clear is the intention of the U.S. which dispatched the nuclear-powered submarine Missouri to the Korean peninsula as soon as it hatched a dangerous plot for a nuclear war in Washington.
Such critical situation pressurizes our armed forces to opt for more offensive countermeasure.
The unstable political and military situation this year, which started with the entry of the U.S. Air Force B-1B strategic bomber in January and has ended with the visit of a nuclear-powered submarine of the U.S. Navy in December, clearly shows it is none other than the U.S. and its vassal forces that unilaterally escalate the military tension in the Korean peninsula by rhetoric or conduct.
Every moment, the crisis of nuclear conflict in the Korean peninsula is turning into the issue of a point of time, not the issue of possibility as the adventurous military doctrine of the U.S. presupposing the use of nuclear strike means has developed into a more dangerous way.
The security environment on the Korean peninsula has not yet been stabilized due to the reckless military threat of the U.S. and the ROK.
The DPRK will never overlook the provocative act of the U.S. which is introducing nuclear strategic means into the Korean peninsula again with the approaching of the year-end and the beginning of the new year, going against the aspiration and desire of the regional and international community for detente, peace and stability.
The armed forces of the DPRK will thoroughly neutralize the U.S. and its vassal forces' attempt to ignite a nuclear war and thus reliably ensure peace and security in the Korean peninsula and the region and faithfully fulfill their constitutional duty to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country and the rights and interests of its people.
The hostile forces' any attempt to use armed forces against the DPRK will face a preemptive and deadly counteraction.
Kim Jong Il, the Sun of Humankind
The Koreans and other progressive people the world over revered Chairman Kim Jong Il (1942-2011) of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea as the sun of humankind.
“The Sun Has Come”
In August 2002, as part of his trip around the Far East of Russia, Kim Jong Il visited the St Bishop Innokenty of Irkutsk Church of the Russian Orthodox Church in Khabarovsk.
Upon arrival, he was warmly greeted by a priest of the church. He was taking a look around the church building, when bells clanged from somewhere. All eyes turned towards where the deep-toned sound came from.
Orthodox discipline prohibits bell ringing before the noonday sun appears.
The priest explained that though it was before noon, they decided to ring the bells as a token of welcome to the Korean guest, adding that those on the bell tower were the best bellmen in the church.
When Kim Jong Il thanked him, the priest said, “The Sun has come to our church and it is only natural for us to ring the bells in greeting.”
Sun and Star
It happened when a French man, then a director of the International Institute of the Juche Idea, visited the DPRK for the third time.
Unexpectedly, he fell ill due to the relapse of an obstinate disease.
Informed of this, Kim Jong Il said to officials concerned: He is one of our guests and a scholar of the Juche idea. As he shares ideology with us, we should do our best to cure him.
He then took necessary steps for his treatment–sending tonics and arranging for the latest medical equipment to be used.
The French man restored himself to health in a little more than 40 days.
Back home, he said to his colleagues: I hope you set up a red marble stone at my grave. A small one would be okay. It should have carvings of the sun and, below it, a five-pointed star. The sun will symbolize President Kim Il Sung and Chairman Kim Jong Il, and the star, all the followers of the Juche idea in the world who have achieved solid unity around them.
“He Was the Sun”
The following is part of what a Russian businessman, named Solinov, said recalling his meeting with Kim Jong Il:
Our meeting in July 1995 lasted for 55 minutes. An audience with the supreme leader of a country is supposed to be very formal. But Kim Jong Il treated me and my colleagues as if we had been his old friends, and our talks proceeded in an amicable atmosphere. We were all fascinated by his modesty and candour, and especially by his hearty laughter.
Time seemed to be flying. After the talks, when posing for a photo with us, he beamed, just like the sun shedding its full light.
People revere the sun for its unexcelled grandeur, which they feel deep in their hearts.
Indeed, he was the Sun.
A Boost to the DPRK’s Defence Capabilities
Carried by a new-type launch vehicle Chollima 1, the DPRK’s reconnaissance satellite Malligyong 1 followed the set trajectory without a hitch and achieved orbit 705 seconds after lift-off.
In launching the satellite the DPRK has exercised its legitimate right to strengthen its self-defensive capabilities. With mounting tension around the country and beyond, owing to the hostile forces’ reckless military manoeuvres, this is a tangible contribution to getting the country’s armed forces fully ready to cope with possible war.
