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Subscribe to RSSKim Jung-un, the young North Korean leader, made his first public speech Sunday – a possible sign of new openness. NBC's Richard Engel reports.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in his first public speech called for a push toward "final victory" Sunday during a massive celebration marking the 100th birthday of national founder Kim Il Sung.
Kim, 29, in the 22-minute speech broadcast on state-owned television, praised his grandfather as tens of thousands gathered in Pyongyang's main square for meticulously choreographed festivities that came two days after a failed rocket launch.
"I offer the purest respect and the greatest honor to great comrades Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il," he told cheering crowds, referring to his late grandfather and deceased father. Kim called his grandfather as the eternal leader of the country and "founder and the builder of our revolutionary armed forces."
He also said it was important to keep the military strong and to remember the military is more than rockets.
"Let's go forward toward final victory," he concluded.
Kim also reviewed a military parade as soldiers bedecked with rifles and medals marched and tanks, missiles and other hardware rolled past and military jets flew overhead, the Voice of America reported on Twitter.
The parade included the unveiling of what appears to be a new missile, The Associated Press reported.
While its contents were uncontroversial, the speech itself was a big surprise after many years of silence from Kim's father when he presided over similar events.
Sunday's celebration followed North Korea's attempt to launch a long range rocket, which ended in failure on Friday.
Washington and others had said the Friday rocket launch was a covert test of long-range missile technology.
The state that Kim inherited in December after the death of his father boasts a 1.2 million-strong military, wants to possess a nuclear weapon and to develop the ability to hit the United States with it.
Behind those ambitions are 23 million people, many malnourished, in an economy whose output is worth just $40 billion annually in purchasing power parity terms, according to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, compared with South Korea's $1.5 trillion economy.
This article includes reporting by Reuters and The Associated Press.
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Trying to perfect launching long range missiles.
Talking about achieving "final victory".
If we don't take Pygmy Dictator Jr. out now, the pathetically twisted little tool is actually going to attempt to destroy South Korea.
Put the crosshairs between his eyes, and pull the damn trigger. Now.
oh you want us to be terrorist now..oh i see
Oh give me a break. Wake up. We've been doing "wet ops" since this country began.
There's a difference between pre-emptive preservation and terrorism.
Would we have been "terrorists" if we'd managed to get someone close enough to kill Hitler? Hmm?
oh that's right we help get Hussein in power and help kill him at the end..your right never trust us Americans
oh and did you know Bush grandfather supported Hitler and help support him hum
Funny thing is, we may not need to do that - the military has its own ambitions, and who's to say that Jong-Un is not having to look over his shoulder every ten seconds of the day?
Looking tough is the only thing he can do to keep the military on its leash - if they break free from it he's done - and by contrast so too is North Korea. I mean, after all, you can bet they wouldn't be so lax with the use of full force munitions conflict.
Perhaps Kim Jong-Un's farce and facade is what's keeping us alive, so maybe we ought to be grateful, but not let up the pressure.
North Korea's so cute
Pokemon president
I saw a few comments on here about how North Korea would change and many positive hopefuls about how Junior would run things. My concern is that we need to have Junior explain what his version of "final victory" entails. Victory in what, or over whom? They are not at war with anybody so what is he hoping to win for his country? They already live in their own little world and any real act of agression against any of the Big Boys would result in their little country being bombed back to the stone-age, coincidentaly which wouldn't be too far from what they are living now. I have no hope for this country joining the rest of us in reality just because he publically "acknowledged" his 1st failure.
Not in a literal sense, but a cease fire's still technically "war" even though it's not treated as such. There's no formal peace treaty between the two - if there were we would not be hearing about stuff like this.
No formal treaty = technically still at war. Therefore, I take "final victory" here to mean that the North is planning to violate the cease fire (or thinking about the possibility of violating it).
Jong-Un is committing political suicide if he makes a move like that. Has he forgotten how many people like the South and the fact that China needs to keep its "we're on freedom's side" image up? And if North Korea attacks the South, that means China has to decide whether to stop it or support it.
If they take the latter option, suddenly they become EVERYONE'S enemy.
Final Victory over what? Starvation?
Just like the missile did not make it, that hair cut ain't making it either.
lol
Take a good look at that pic of junior. I think North Korea needs to invest all that rocket money in barbers...just saying.
Do you really think that China really wants a free united Korea on it's border? of course, it is going to stall anything legit progress when it comes to North Korea. It's in their best interest to keep them going. China is not worried about their nuclear capabilities. Japan, South Korea and US are naive to think otherwise.
I think that missile was made from.tin cans..he fooled the world huh people
hey fox news..you said they had mass destruction.you people love to keep the fire going
Silly little boy, running all over the place with a stiffy, and nobody to be proud of it. Can't get it up ? ? Failure to launch? Need a hand? Laughing stock of the entire planet ? ? A threat to humanity like Jimmy Carter??? IROTFLMAO at this total little failure. He ought to go slam a bullet thru his mellon. The World has nothing to fear in this little bag-o-crap. Kimshe anyone?
joanl11-you said: "Mexican Illegals I want as US Citizens......" Why? You have been making some case for NK but to place illegal immigrants of any nation into the same category as American citizens you have lost my vote and trust in your thinking. As to NK, you are making statements with hope tagged along side. I feel that the position of NK will only be altered by actions or lack of by the Chinese government. NK is so dependent on China and I find it interesting that China has largely been quiet on NK since father's death. I am really interested to see how long the US will stop or reduce food supplies to NK. I do not fully accept the US position as reality but more of a political statement to please the masses-election votes. I think your comments are more out of hope and prayer than reality. Even with a change in NK, how do you feel that the world will accept such change-very cautiously, I feel and largely with non belief.
So what you're saying is you'd rather declare war on China?
Be my guest, go over there and murder a couple of Chinese and see if you can get home alive to brag about it.
I kind of wonder if things would be different if the people of N. Korea were not backed into a corner.
Another brutal dictator who has been raised to think he has the right to murder his own people for his need to show his power. Nothing like nuclear power in the hands of leaders who will starve and brutalize their own people. One can only imagine what he would do to the west if he ever gets the chance.
very possible that North Korea will change in the near future for the better. Hopefully this youngster will take hold of the reigns and do the right thing.
when you give a young man that much power i don't know
@Elvis Payne - Yet how much of it is really genuine power? We don't know enough to make a call on it.
yes true
Most citizens of 3rd world countries are aware, or will be made aware as history is written, of whence came the food which fed them. Using food as a weapon is unconscionable, and I could care less what the general population of N. Korea think of the USA at present as history will record , and serve to educate at some point, the Americans tried to help them. There is so much greed, and waste on this planet, not one single soul should be hungry or without a roof! Anyone who thinks food sanctions are a good idea, take a look at your child, or grandchild or for that matter, a child? still feel this sanction is a good idea?
No
However, none of that food got to the actual North Koreans it was meant to feed. That's why only the royalty of the North is healthy looking.
People probably join the military so that they can eat. This guy is as crazy as his father & grand father. He's still fighting a war of 60 years ago, he wasn't even born. Military before feeding your people, missiles before feeding your people.
It is NOT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE TO FEED HIS PEOPLE, WHILE HE IS BUSY SPENDING THE COUNTRY'S MONEY BUILDING MISSILES THAT CAN CARRY NUKES TO AMERICA.
yes we know that..but what does a NK child have to say to change it?..don't you think those children see the name USA on those rice bags.they do remember who feed them when they get old
Assuming of course they even got the food. How do we know it got to the proper intended destination?
its not from a Church who say they feed them..our government is involved
looks like he drank way too much soju then someone woke him up!!! looks like a cranky SOB !!!!
All they need ie a lesson like Japan got;you fight force with greater force;fight to win not to help big bussiness out.They would kill us all if they could;look what they do to there own people;like what's not done to us because we pay for it ever way and every day!!!!!!!
Uh WHAT?!!!
Ronrey, I'm so ronery....
,'-D
Is it just me, or is Elvis Payne an idiot?
just you
I'd say he's obviously ignorant - but then again we've got too little info to come to a conclusion about all this.
How is feeding children dumb
Oh sorry I'm talking to one who don't want health care for working Americans
shut up and feed your people!!
Glass em over and use N. Korea as a world energy project...would be better than than starving to death unless you're in the military. Other than the loss of lives I almost wish the north would try to go south. That way the world could then step in and feed these people
If the North goes away, then the South would step in to claim it - it WAS originally their territory, the Kims have just been reluctant and unwilling to reunite the two halves.
Upon the eradication of the North, the South moves in, and loses the word in their name. No longer would we refer to Korean territories as "North Korea" or "South Korea". We would simply say "Korea", the name the nation was intended to be called from the start of its foundations.
I was thinking the same thing. Those people might literally be better off if we nuked them. I heard the NK army lowered their height requirement to 4'7" and that the average Northerner is like 5 inches shorter than their Southern counterpart. It is incredible how brutalized those people are, and for how long it's been going on.
look at what the japanese did to the chinese during world war ii.
East Germany and West Germany. Now, once again, Germany. How long before NK and SK becomes Korea?
I have read that much of the imported food from governments is directed to the army first.
Kim looks like a (short) penis!
kim dong doo-a fat ugly lttle knucklehead leading his country to failure. loser!!!!!!!!!!
Kinda like our President, except for the fat part.
:)
why don't Obama say he has mass destruction it work for Bush