Great Leader Comrade Kim Jong Il,

Chairman of the DPRK National Defense Commission and

Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army

The Central Committee of the National Democratic Front of South Korea sent a congratulatory message to the great leader Kim Jong Il on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Korean People's Army. 

The message reads.

Today we are significantly greeting the 70th anniversary of the heroic Korean People's Army which demonstrates its might as the invincible revolutionary army of Mt. Baekdu under the leadership of you the brilliant commander.

On this auspicious anniversary of the KPA, the Central Committee of the National Democratic Front of South Korea, representing the boundless reverence and intense loyalty of the vanguard fighters and all other patriotic people in the south, extends reverentially the highest honor and warmest congratulations to you Comrade Kim Jong Il, sun of the 21st century, ever-victorious iron-willed brilliant general, chairman of the DPRK National Defense Commission and supreme commander of the KPA.

The foundation of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army by the great leader Comrade Kim Il Sung, the legendary anti-Japanese hero, 70 years ago was the birth of a genuine revolutionary national army led by the great brilliant commander and great idea for the first time in the thousands-year-long history of the nation and a historic event that opened the origin of the Juche-based revolutionary armed forces.

Under the outstanding leadership of the legendary great men of Baekdu, the KPA has set a great example of building an independent army and accumulated immortal feats brilliant with victory and glory on the protracted road of accomplishing the revolutionary cause of Juche for 70 years up to this date since its foundation.

The great leader Comrade Kim Il Sung, the founder of the KPA and ever-victorious iron-willed brilliant commander, defeated the most atrocious US and Japanese imperialists in one generation with clairvoyant wisdom, prominent strategy, Juche-based war methods and excellent commanding art. Thus he has performed the undying exploits of liberating the country and honorably defending the sovereignty of the country and nation.

He is the gifted military strategist who set forth and brilliantly materialized the Juche-oriented military line of self-reliance to reinforce the KPA into an invincible one-match-for-a-hundred army and impregnably fortified the nationwide and all-people defense system to consolidate the powerful self-defensive national defense capability.

Under the wise leadership of the great President who firmly maintained the principle of attaching importance to the army in the revolution and construction, the KPA has grown to an invincible army boundlessly loyal to the Party and leader, the country and people, and has reliably secured the victorious advance of the Juche cause with arms, resolutely frustrating the arrogant challenges of the enemies in the grave annals of revolution.

The Juche-based army-centered idea and the cause of army building of the President are successfully carried on and developed century after century by you the respected supreme commander Marshal Kim Jong Il who were born as a son of guerillas and fostered the wisdom and pluck of a brilliant commander in the severe gunfire.

Inheriting the family tradition of Baekdu generals loving the gun, you, with a firm will to complete with the gun to the last the revolutionary cause of Juche pioneered with the gun, have ceaselessly developed and enriched the Juche-oriented military line of the President and successfully carried out the cause of modeling the whole army on the Juche idea, thus accumulating immortal exploits to be brilliant forever in the history of the nation.

With restless and energetic leadership, you have established the revolutionary command system and trait in the army and accomplished the cause of turning the entire army into an army of cadres and modernizing the whole army, strengthening and developing the KPA into the army of the leader and the Party and major driving force of the revolutionary cause.

In particular, you have advanced the revolutionary gun philosophy that the army is just the party, state and people for the first time in history by developing the army-centered revolutionary idea of the President and led the struggle to defend Juche-based socialism to victory with the unique army-centered policies, glorifying the 20th century as the Kim Il Sung century and opening a broad way for the building of a powerful nation. This is a great exploit remarkable in the history of army building.

It is a brilliant fruit of your unique army-centered revolutionary leadership that the KPA has been strengthened to the ranks of loyalists devotedly defending the great leaders with the spirit of human bombs and self-destruction, the powerful army of ideology and comradeship forming an integral whole with the supreme commander and an invincible army equipped with modern offensive and defensive means, striking the world with admiration and making the enemies shudder.

Forhavingyouasits supreme commander, the KPA is demonstrating its might as the powerful revolutionary army of Kim Jong Il and successfully performing its duty as the guardian of the leader's revolutionary cause, defender of the motherland of Juche and performer of the building of a powerful socialist nation. Its idea and traits of struggle and life become the model of society and ideological and spiritual traits of the north Korean people and the army-people unity and single-hearted unity of the revolutionary ranks reach the highest level.

Thanks to your idea of giving priority to the gun and your peculiar army-based policy and army-centered leadership, Juche Korea is brilliant as the stronghold of socialism under the red flag of revolution and citadel of peace of Korea and the world and the cause of human independence is powerfully advancing along the road of Juche.

Indeed, you are the peerless brilliant general, ever-victorious iron-willed brilliant commander and bright sun of the 21st centuryreveredbyall people, who has fostered the KPA into the most powerful army in the world with excellent strategy,matchless pluck,Juche-basedwarmethods and prominent political ability, demonstrating the dignity and honor of the Kim Il Sung nation to the whole world and performing undying feats for the cause of independence of the nation and humankind.

The NDFSK vanguards and all other patriotic people of south Korea are full of the boundless glory and pride of enjoying the blessings with the leader and general generation after generation, for having you the peerless brilliant commander of Baekdu as the sun of the nation, and are renewing the firm faith that they are sure to win under your leadership.

It is their cherished and firm faith and will that your unique army-centered policy is the genuinely patriotic policy of defending the safety of the people and nation and peace of the Korean Peninsula and the firm guarantee for the bright future of theKim Il Sung nation and building of a reunified, prosperous and powerful nation.

Cherishing deep in our hearts the faith that you are just the destiny and reunification of the nation, we will further consolidate the NDFSK and other revolutionary ranks into the ranks of true loyalists and devoted performers burning their hearts with the worship of you and following your idea and leadership with intense loyalty.

The NDFSK and all the patriotic people will resolutely smash the frantic anti-north Korea war moves of the US imperialists and their stooges through a nation-wide anti-US, anti-war resistance and further activate the struggle to carry out the June 15 joint declaration under the banner of national independence and unity to positively contribute to opening a decisive phase of reunification this year.

Your safety and good health are the earnest desire of the south Korean people and decisive guarantee for the completion of the revolutionary cause of Juche.

TheCentralCommitteeoftheNationalDemocratic Front of South Korea, reflecting the unanimous desire of the vanguard fighters and all other patriotic people in the south, reverentially wishes good health of you the great leader Comrade Kim Jong Il, sun of the 21st century, lodestar of national reunification, chairman of the DPRK National Defense Commission and supreme commander of the Korean People's Army.

Central Committee

National Democratic Front of South Korea

Seoul

April 25, Juche 91 (2002)