Rodong Sinmun Tuesday says this in a by-lined article.

It goes on:

If a country is weak in its military power no matter how rapid its economic development is and no matter how strong its material and technical foundations are, it can fall victim to the imperialists' aggression and easily goes to its ruin. This is the lesson and truth taught by history.

The Persian Gulfs War and the Balkan War and wars of aggression in Afghanistan and Iraq go to prove that the imperialists' aggressive nature and wild ambition remain unchanged and if a country neglects the defence build-up, laying stress on the economic construction, it can hardly defend the sovereignty, dignity and peace of the country and fall victim to the imperialists' aggression and war.

Only when a country boosts its military muscle by channeling efforts into the defence build-up, it can successfully push forward the economic construction and protect its sovereignty, security and peace.

It is the trend of the present times to accelerate the economic construction while bolstering the defence capability to ensure peace.

The DPRK has boosted its capacity for self-defense in every way to cope with the enemy's moves for a war of aggression against it, firmly protecting the sovereignty of the country and socialism and dynamically pushing ahead with the building of an economic power.

The imperialist countries are now working hard to stifle the DPRK through harsh sanctions and blockade, very displeased with the signal successes made by it in the economic construction. This, however, would get them to nowhere, concludes the article.