He had a significant photo session with commanding officers of the KPA General Political Bureau, the Ministry of the People's Armed Forces and the KPA General Staff in front of the statues of President Kim Il Sung and leader Kim Jong Il at the ministry.

At the ministry's conference room he met with commanding officers of the KPA and congratulated them on the New Year.

Then he informed them of the complicated situation prevailed before the Korean revolution.

The DPRK's H-bomb test, conducted at the outset of the year when the Seventh Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) is to be held, is a self-defensive step for reliably defending the peace on the Korean Peninsula and the regional security from the danger of nuclear war caused by the U.S.-led imperialists, he said, adding it is the legitimate right of a sovereign state and a fair action that nobody can criticize.

He made an important speech on the main task to be carried out by the KPA this year.

It is a general goal of our Party and people for this year to glorify the 7th Congress of the WPK, which will be a historic turning point in accomplishing the revolutionary cause of Juche, as a glorious meeting of victors and the Party Central Committee pins greatest hope on the People's Army in carrying out this heavy and responsible task, he said, and went on: "Let us defend the 7th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea by strengthening the political and military might of the People's Army in every way!"--this is the militant slogan the People's Army should uphold this year.

He stressed that it is the feature and peculiarity of the WPK's mode of leadership to strengthen in every way the driving force of the revolution with the People's Army as a core, cultivate our state's self-development capability with the People's Army as a model and achieve the greater victories in reliance on the army and, thanks to this constant principle, the distinguished leadership mode, the WPK will always emerge victorious.

A shortcut to successfully carrying out the militant tasks facing the People's Army is to deeply study and grasp the behests of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il and implement them to the letter unconditionally without an inch of deflection, he said, urging the whole army to put it up as an important slogan to establish the revolutionary habit of study this year.

Saying that a strict military discipline should be established within the KPA and it should take on a fully standardized appearance, he underlined the need for it to fully apply the anti-Japanese-guerilla-style method of commanding and managing units so that all the work and life of its service personnel can be organized in line with military regulations and manual.

He called on the KPA to always make a vigorous offensive under the patriotic slogan "Let the People's Army take charge of both national defence and socialist construction!" and steer the whole society with soldier spirit, style and mettle by making breakthroughs on major fronts for building a thriving nation with the 7th WPK Congress as an occasion.

The KPA should wage a high-intensity struggle to tackle the sci-tech problems arising in strengthening the defence capability and rounding off combat preparations and make many ultra-modern technologic achievements conducive to building an economic powerhouse and improving the people's livelihood, under the slogan of the self-development-first principle, he said.

He expressed belief that the KPA commanding officers would be intensely faithful to their noble mission they have assumed on behalf of the Party and revolution, the country and its people and fulfill their revolutionary duty in the struggle for successfully carrying out this year's militant tasks facing the KPA and hastening the final victory.

He once again stressed the need for the KPA to equip itself with perfect offensive and defensive capabilities and get fully combat-ready so that it can resolutely counter any challenges by the hostile forces with a revolutionary war, a great event.

Our cause is just and the revolutionary cause of Juche advancing along the road of independence, Songun and socialism will always emerge victorious, he said, ardently calling for a vigorous advance toward the final victory.