The Korean people proudly call the present times the “era of our state-first principle”.

The era of our state-first principle is an era of self-existence and prosperity, which was born as a result of the Workers’ Party of Korea making all possible efforts for the people and determinedly building up its own force, boldly facing all kinds of challenges of history, a result of the do-or-die struggle for exalting the dignity and position of the state.

At the beginning of the new century of the Juche era, the DPRK has braved harsh trials including brigandish, outrageous challenges of hostile forces and successive natural calamities.

The WPK waged an unyielding offensive to break through all obstacles by inspiring all people to turn out in the struggle for the prosperity of the country in the face of worst ordeals.

It was the banner of independence and self-reliance that the Korean people upheld under the leadership of the Party.

In this course, they ushered in the era of our state-first principle, a new era of development.

The era of our state-first principle is the age when the harmonious whole of the Party and people is being further consolidated thanks to people-first politics.

Putting forward the politics based on the people-first principle as the basic mode of politics, the WPK has ensured that all Party and state activities are consistent with making selfless, devoted efforts for the people and that all production and construction are directed to the promotion of their wellbeing.

In the period, the people hardened their will to devote everything to the WPK, regarding it as the embrace of their mother and Korean-style socialism as their life and soul, and the political and ideological position of the DPRK became impregnable.

The era of our state-first principle is an age of changes spurring progress in socialist construction by maximizing the nation’s own force.

Amid the all-people struggle for stepping up socialist construction by building up the self-development capacity, self-reliance became a national trait of the DPRK and served as the one and only fighting spirit for all the people to safeguard the arteries of the self-supporting national economy, the socialist economy.

The era is also the one of demonstrating the dignity and might of the country based on the successful buildup of the powerful national defence capabilities.

The DPRK faced the unimaginably despicable moves of hostile forces to obliterate its sovereignty and rights to existence and development for the past decade, but it accomplished the great national cause of bolstering up self-reliant defence capacity in a matter of a few years, an undertaking which others would not be able to implement even in two or three decades.

Military parades in celebration of the 75th birth anniversary of the WPK and the Eighth Party Congress served as an occasion vividly demonstrating the might of the country.

The Korean people are out in the struggle for opening a new period of great upsurge and change in socialist construction in this era of our state-first principle.