PYONGYANG, May 30 (KCNA) – A firing contest among artillery sub-units of large combined units of the Korean People's Army was conducted on May 29 amid the intensive combat training for implementing the policy of the Workers' Party of Korea on building a powerful army aiming at the strongest military muscle being organized and enforced in the entire army.

Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, watched the artillery firing contest.

Kim Jong Un was accompanied by Pak Jong Chon, secretary of the Central Committee of the WPK and vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of the WPK.

He was greeted on the spot by No Kwang Chol, minister of National Defence of the DPRK, Ri Yong Gil, chief of the General Staff of the KPA, Jong Kyong Thaek, director of the General Political Bureau of the KPA, and other commanding officers of the Ministry of National Defence and military and political commanding officers of large combined units of the KPA.

The commanders of the frontline large combined units commanded the fire.

The artillery sub-units at all levels who participated in the firing contest fully demonstrated the skilled artillery firing technique they have consolidated through intensive training true to the Party's policy on training-first policy.

Kim Jong Un praised the success of artillery sub-units of perfectly demonstrating the actual war capability of the KPA artillery force fully preparing itself in full combat readiness to be matchless combat ranks that can fight any time and surely win if they fight a war. He positively appreciated that a scientific combat training system has been thoroughly established in the entire army and qualitative changes are being made in strengthening the war capability of the artillery in conformity with the developing aspects and changing trend of modern warfare.

He said it is very important to frequently organize firing contests close to the actual warfare environment in training the artillerymen into all-round and a-match-for-a-hundred ones capable of directly hitting the target at any time and in any situation. He stressed once again that prioritizing training and intensifying training are absolute loyalty to the Party, the revolution, the country and the people and making exact demand on training to the maximum is the shortcut to training the powerful army.

He expressed expectation and belief that the units at all levels of the entire army would train all the service personnel into training heroes and combat heroes possessed of strong spiritual strength, stubborn militant spirit, high ability and qualifications for an actual war by thoroughly applying the spirit of the seventh conference of the training officers in the military activities and thus firmly guarantee the comprehensive development of the DPRK with arms.