The first revolutionary armed forces in Korean history were founded on April 25 1932. In order to defend the dignity of the nation and the destiny of the people, the Anti-Japanese People’s Guerrilla Army, the first armed ranks of Korea equipped with only some 100 rifles, declared death-defying resistance against Japanese imperialism armed with airplanes, tanks, warships and other modern weapons.

Birth of army, shout of hurrah resounds through forests

The founding ceremony of the first revolutionary armed forces of Korea was too plain.

There were neither military band music nor fireworks display nor gun salute.

The armed ranks were composed of only some 100 fighters wearing uniforms made from cloth dyed green in water and boiled oak-tree bark and caps with a five-pointed star insignia and carrying rifles.

However, they were sky-high in their will and spirit to achieve the historic cause of national liberation by fighting life-and-death battles against the Japanese aggressors.

Twenty-year-old General Kim Il Sung made an inspiring speech before them at the ceremony. When he proclaimed the founding of the AJPGA, all the soldiers raised cheers of hurrah at the top of their voice which resounded through the primitive forests. It was an eruption of Korean revolutionaries’ indomitable faith and will to fight against the Japanese imperialists to the last and achieve national independence and the people’s freedom and liberation by their own efforts.

The AJPGA was later developed into the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army in the course of the fight to destroy Japanese imperialism. The development was a grand momentous event declaring the death-defying resistance against imperialism under the uplifted banner of national liberation and independence by national efforts and a historic event which heralded a new era of the Juche revolution relying on powerful revolutionary armed forces.

Everlasting history of resistance

History clearly demonstrated that the Korean revolutionaries were absolutely right in their choice and determination to shape the destiny and future of their people.

Japanese imperialism, hell-bent on a war to conquer the whole Asian continent while styling itself the “leader of Asia”, resorted to every means and method to nip the KPRA in the bud, describing it as a “drop in the ocean”.

The Korean fighters unyieldingly followed the road of struggle despite ceaseless battles, severe starvation, deadly diseases and biting cold around minus 40 degrees centigrade as they kept the faith that the Korean revolution would surely emerge victorious under the commandership of Kim Il Sung as their lifeline.

Those who were arrested by the Japanese imperialists defended the security of the headquarters at the cost of their lives though they were subjected to unimaginably brutal tortures and the combatants fought every battle as the bullet-proof human wall to safeguard the General.

The Korean guerrillas secured foods, clothing, weapons and everything necessary by themselves as they had neither state backing nor support from a regular army.

In the spirit of independence and self-reliance that masters of the Korean revolution are just the Korean people and the revolution should be carried out by relying on their strength, they solved all the problems arising in guerrilla warfare in a unique way and armed themselves by making Yongil bombs at the arsenals in thick forests and seizing the enemy’s weapons.

During the anti-Japanese war, the source of tremendous strength of the KPRA was the boundless human love and comradeship of Kim Il Sung who always shared destiny with his men and the positive support and encouragement of the people.

His outstanding military stratagem, original guerrilla tactics and seasoned art of command were the main factors behind the KPRA’s victory in every battle. The protean tactics of marching a long distance at a go, attacking in the west after making sounds in the east, allurement and ambush and disappearing into nowhere and appearing from nowhere, incessant surprise attacks, combined operations by small and large units and operations of harassing the enemy from behind smashed the numerical and technological superiority of the aggressors, shook their colonial rule to its very foundation and dealt a deadly blow to their wild ambition for conquering the Asian continent.

Horrified by the surging advance of the KPRA and the all-people resistance mounted in all parts of Korea at the same time according to the order of General Kim Il Sung to launch a general offensive, the Japanese imperialists declared unconditional surrender on August 15 1945 and the historic cause of national liberation was finally achieved.

World-recognized powerful army, elite revolutionary armed forces

The armed forces of Korea that were formed with two pistols as the asset are now demonstrating their might as a powerful world-class army and invincible elite revolutionary armed forces.

The military parade held in celebration of the 90th anniversary of the KPRA on April 25 2022 clearly showed off to the world the advanced feature, modernity and development of the Korean People’s Army which became incomparably stronger than in those days when the AJPGA was built up.

The parade involved the columns of the latest tactical missiles with great manoeuvrability and annihilating striking power, mainstay tanks, artillery pieces, anti-aircraft missiles, extra-large ICBM Hwasongpho-17 horrifying the imperialist enemies and other strategic missiles and new advanced weapon systems and the formations of fighters decorating the sky with dazzling fireworks. The stormy cheers of hurrah going up from the columns of elite units marching in a fine array holding the colours of feats with the pride of having defeated the US imperialists who had boasted of being the “strongest” in the world by inheriting the anti-Japanese tradition rocked heaven and earth with the will of the Korean people to emerge victorious forever under the leadership of the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un.