Rodong Sinmun on Thursday says this in a bylined article.

It goes on:

This is the truth the DPRK army and people have deeply grasped through the confrontation with the imperialists.

No country in the world is exposed to such incessant blatant military pressure and threat of aggression from the U.S. as the DPRK.

After the demise of the Cold War the U.S.-led imperialist allied forces ran amuck to stifle the DPRK which was advancing under the uplifted red banner of socialism.

But for the DPRK's powerful arms, the imperialists would have provoked a war of aggression on the Korean Peninsula already long ago.

The reality of the DPRK that it is honorably safeguarding the national dignity and sovereignty in the military confrontation with the U.S. imperialists, holding aloft the banner of Songun, eloquently proves that military power means national power.

Any neglect of the work to build military muscle would hinder economic development in a country no matter how economy, science and technology developed. This would result in placing it under the control of the imperialists.

The peace and security of humankind are gravely threatened worldwide due to the imperialists' interference and military aggression against sovereign states, and the Asia-Pacific region including the Korean Peninsula, in particular, has become the biggest hotspot in the world. It is quite natural for the DPRK to bolster up its military capability under this situation.

Steadfast is the will of the Workers' Party of Korea and the DPRK government to reliably protect the security and sovereignty of the country and peace and security in Northeast Asia and the rest of the world by dint of tremendous military muscle.