Rodong Sinmun Monday says this in a jointly signed article.

The prosperity of the country and the dignity of the nation depend on the mental power of its people, the driving force of the country, the article notes, and goes on:

Strong mental power of the popular masses amounts to the greatest treasure of the nation which cannot be bartered for any amount of wealth and serves as a weapon more powerful than a nuclear weapon.

There are now not a few countries in the world which wish to become political powers, counting on their strong military capacity, tremendous economic power and huge scientific and technological potentials. These are, however, not enough for emerging independent powers. If the people of a country are divided ideologically and morally no matter what powerful military muscle and developed economic potential it has, it cannot escape the fate of a political servant for other countries. This is the stark reality proved by the international politics. A country with the great people possessed of strong mental power can claim to be a country with strong national power.

Building a great prosperous and powerful socialist nation means, in essence, a process for training the popular masses into people strong in the spirit of independence and building a powerful driving force for the cause of the nation-building.

The on-going general advance to usher in a new heyday of Songun Korea represents, first of all, a general advance for helping its people fully equip themselves with the political and ideological traits of the people of a thriving nation.

Mental power serves as the most powerful weapon as it helps the people win sure victory in the stand off with the imperialists standing in the way of building a thriving nation.

It is because of this great mental power hardly found in the people of any other countries that the Korean people are recognized as invincible and heroic people by the world.

The mental power of the Korean people is an expression of their noblest thought and sentiment of absolutely trusting and following the headquarters of the revolution and a manifestation of their strong national self-esteem with which they are advancing into the world with pride and a display of their total dedication to the work for carving out a rosy future.

The article calls on the people to give full play to the tremendous mental power which has been built in the course of Songun and let this year witness great changes, many good signs and landmark turns.