By Jun Ji-hye
North Korea is consolidating the one-man rule of Kim Jong-un and calling for the people’s allegiance to the young leader, as the country marked the 71st founding anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party, Monday.
The Rodong Sinmun, the party organ, said in a commentary that the people should show greater loyalty to Kim and follow his orders.
The newspaper also called for greater efforts to repair damage caused by severe flooding in the northernmost region of North Hamgyong Province, which left about 140 people dead.
Another commentary in the newspaper stressed the importance of military reinforcement, raising the need to possess strong means to strike the enemy, including nuclear weapons for self-defense.
Last year, the reclusive state held a massive parade to show off its military prowess, but this year the regime has been marking the national holiday without much fanfare as of Monday.
The South’s Ministry of Unification said there is no sign of Pyongyang holding any major event, but it is closely watching developments amid the growing possibility of a major provocation including another nuclear test or a missile launch to celebrate the anniversary.
The isolated state carried out its fifth and most powerful nuclear test, Sept. 9, when it celebrated the anniversary of the North Korean regime’s founding. The North claimed that it detonated a miniaturized nuclear warhead that can be mounted on a ballistic missile during the test.
Military authorities from South Korea and the United States have assessed that the North is capable of conducting a new test at any time once its leader decides to do so.
Military officials here are also paying keen attention to the possibility of a ballistic missile test, possibly a Rodong medium-range missile or a Musudan intermediate-range one.
The possibility of the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), in what the North has claimed as placing an “Earth observation satellite” in orbit, has also been raised following its purported successful ground test of a new rocket engine Sept. 20.
The North’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Saturday that the regime will continue to be enthusiastic towards “conquering the world of outer space,” indicating that it will launch a satellite soon.
The South’s Ministry of National Defense said the nation is willing to conduct preemptive strikes against the North’s nuclear and missile facilities, if there are signs of an imminent nuclear strike by Pyongyang.
For its part, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said the military has been on high alert for any provocations by the North.