Kim Jong Il visited the Seoul Ryu Kyong Su 105 Guards Tank Division of the Korean People's Army on Aug. 25, 1960.

He had since visited a great number of KPA units to train the service persons as first line fighters devotedly protecting the leader, the strongest defenders of the country and patriotic fighters.

Late in the 20th century fair-minded world people were concerned about the destiny of the DPRK, the fate of socialism.

It was against this background that Kim Jong Il pursued the unique Songun politics, leading the struggle for defending socialism to victory and encouraging all the service personnel and people to build a rich and powerful nation.

Kim Jong Il sent his historic autographed message to the service personnel and people on the New Year 1995, in which he called on them to turn out as one in a drive to make socialist Korea of Juche richer and more powerful to which President Kim Il Sung devoted all his life.

Kim Jong Il encouraged his beloved country and its people overcome with grief over the demise of Kim Il Sung to rise above their bitter sorrow. He visited the Tabaksol (young pine tree) post. There he solemnly declared before the world his unshakable conviction and will to protect the cause of socialism which was pioneered and has advanced by dint of arms and accomplish it with arms, come what may.

Kim Jong Il provided field guidance to at least 12,790 units during the period of the Songun revolutionary leadership. He covered more than 629,992 km for those journeys.

Sometimes he had to cross the rugged Chol Pass and push the jeep to walk along the steep road on Mt. Osong. He toured Panmunjom on the forefront at dawn and visited the Cho Islet despite rough waves. Every story about the long journeys made by Kim Jong Il for Songun leadership day and night deeply touches all Koreans.

When the country was standing at the crossroads--whether to become an independent lifeguard or become a slave of imperialism-- the whole country was replete with matchless courage and spirit of the brilliant commander of Mt. Paektu who taught it is only the arms of the KPA that ensure the peace and victory of socialism.

While making tireless long journeys to visit far-off posts in different sectors of the front, he had uncomfortable short sleep, took rice-balls and had haircuts. He never forgot to visit women's coast artillery battery to show such loving care for them as sending cream good for cure. There are too many moving revolutionary anecdotes to tell.

Bearing in mind the immutable truth that Songun represents the highest dignity and the greatest patriotism, Kim Jong Il reposed such trust in the soldiers on the Cho Islet that they were standing guard over the gateway to Pyongyang.

When visiting the soldiers on Height 1211, Mts. Osong, Jihye and Taedok and Height 351, he made their hearts burn with the pledge to defend the gains of revolution at the cost of their lives like the heroic fighters during the Fatherland Liberation War.

The traits of attaching importance to arms have been established throughout the country in line with the main purpose of the policy of giving priority to military affairs. As a result, it has turned into an impregnable fortress and it has become a social trend to give full play to the traits of assisting the army and strengthening the army-people unity.

The revolutionary armed forces in the DPRK equipped with the spirit of attack originating from Mt. Paektu and patriotic tradition of winning a victory in the war have met the arrogant and impudent challenges of the U.S. imperialists with merciless blows as they have pushed the situation on the Korean Peninsula to the brink of a war.

Over the last decade, the KPA foiled thousands of serious military provocations perpetrated by the U.S. imperialists and the south Korean puppet forces, reliably protecting the security of the country and socialism.

The heroic KPA downed a U.S. reconnaissance plane on a spy mission in the air over the DPRK's economic waters in the East Sea of Korea in 2003. It blew up south Korean warmongers' base for provocations on Yonphyong Island in November 2010.

Kim Jong Il laid down a unique line of economic construction which calls for attaching importance to national defence and successfully implemented it. As a result, the nation's defense industry has developed into an ultramodern industry capable of successfully producing weaponry that has tremendous striking power.