Top DPRK leader attends 1st meeting of entire army since 9th WPK congress

PYONGYANG -- Kim Jong-un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), attended the third meeting of company leaders of the Korean People's Army running from Thursday to Friday, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Saturday.

The meeting marked the first gathering of the entire army after the historic Ninth Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), said the report.

The meeting was arranged to mobilize all the company leaders of the entire army to turn all the companies into "elite combat ranks" and "all-mission units capable of fulfilling any combat duty independently," while consistently regarding it as the starting point in strengthening the entire army, it said.

Addressing the gathering, Kim, general secretary of the WPK and president of the State Affairs of the DPRK, stressed that the main spirit of the meeting is to "build the strongest army and accelerate the Korean-style military revolution by training the strongest companies," said the report.

"If all the companies of the entire army are prepared to be the strongest, the war posture of our armed forces will be perfect and the goal of building a powerful army in the new era will be attained," Kim was quoted as saying.

After the meeting, a ceremony was held to award Party and state commendations to exemplary company leaders for their distinguished merits in strengthening their units, said the report.