PEERLESS STRATEGIST

The Korean War (1950-1953) witnessed a miraculous victory for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea with less than two years of its history won in the fiercest confrontation against the United States, with the most influential military and economic power and the longest history of aggression in the world, and other imperialist allied forces. Credit went to Kim Il Sung (1912-1994), now held up as the eternal President of the DPRK, who was endowed with outstanding stratagem and unique military tactics.

When the south Korean army, egged on by the US, started the war at dawn on June 25, 1950, Kim Il Sung put forward the strategy of switching from defence to an immediate counteroffensive.   

It was quite a new and original counteroffensive strategy never before found in military theories and manuals or even in other countries’ experiences. It had been common in the history of war that in face of an all-out surprise attack a nation, however strong its army and its economic and military capabilities might be, was plunged into great confusion and ruined without even exercising its power. Or it was forced to undergo confusion and trials for a certain period before straightening out the situation and regaining its strength capable of switching over to a counteroffensive. 

Following his unique strategy, the Korean People’s Army frustrated the surprise attack of the enemy and liberated Seoul, the enemy’s capital city, within three days after the outbreak of the war, and more than 90 per cent of the southern part of Korea and 92 per cent of its population in little over than a month.

Douglas MacArthur, the then commander of the US Far East forces and UN Forces, wrote in his letter to the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Organization that the “enemy” was an offensive and well-trained professional army and its supreme military commander was excellent in command and well-versed in fundamentals of operational stratagem.

Kim Il Sung saw through the enemy’s motives and commanded the KPA to apply strategies and tactics properly.

One of his strategies was employed in frustrating the “General Christmas Offensive” so much vaunted by the US. When the US was getting overheated in preparing for a new general offensive hurling large troops in November 1950, the President pointed out that the US would start its attack on November 24 and ordered the KPA to go over to an all-out decisive counteroffensive on November 25. The troops of the US and its vassal states suffered a heavy loss and took flight.

A Western journalist witnessed the situation and wrote: The KPA must have known beforehand when the US would start its attack. If not, it would not have been able to launch such an immediate counterattack. It proved once again that its Supreme Commander’s operational ability has no limits. It was beyond imagination that he guessed right the date of the US general offensive, but it was more surprising that he took into account every minutest detail to fix the time of the counteroffensive.

Kim Il Sung put forth and made best use of original tactics that wrote brilliant pages in the modern history of war.

Many military tactics were created by him during the war, including mountain warfare, tunnel warfare, assaults, anti-aircraft and anti-tank teams, which were suited to the topographical features of Korea, military equipment of the KPA and the modern warfare. Of them the tactics of relying on tunnels was created based on geographical features of the country that is mountainous and a scientific analysis of the enemy that depended on his technical superiority.

By deploying the tactics of relying on tunnels the KPA defended Height 1211. In September 1951 Kim Il Sung made his way to the area of Height 1211 in the eastern sector of the front and indicated the orientation and ways to frustrate the frantic “autumn offensive” of the US. He took measures to build strong tunnel positions. In accordance with his order the KPA soldiers set up smithies on the heights, forged chisels, hammers, picks and other tools by melting the enemy shell and bomb fragments, and dug tunnels along the defence line, converting their positions into an impregnable fortress. Even in the thick of the enemy’s intensive bombardment they took a good rest in the tunnels, singing and dancing to the tune of musical instruments they made by themselves.

The then Allied Commander in the Far East Ridgway, who met with consecutive defeats owing to the KPA defence line consolidated into tunnels, cried in despair that it was the strongest one ever known in the world.

The superiority in numerical and technological strength much vaunted by the US, the so-called “world’s strongest,” was shattered to pieces by the strategic and tactical superiority of the KPA created by its Supreme Commander Kim Il Sung.

Recollecting the Korean war, former Portuguese President Francisco da Costa Gomes, who once served as the chief of staff of the Portuguese army in Macau, said: “The operations plans advanced by the United States in the war were all formulated after several rounds of discussion by dozens of bourgeois generals, like chiefs of staff and military specialists, of the Western countries on the US side. But General Kim Il Sung frustrated them all single-handed. Witnessing it, I learned that General Kim Il Sung was a universal genius in military strategy and a great commander.”

Kim Jong Un Inspects KPA Posts

Pyongyang, July 15 (KCNA) -- Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army Kim Jong Un, first secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and first chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK, inspected a civil police post under KPA Unit 171 and a post of the third company of the second battalion under the unit guarding the forefront.

The first leg of his inspection was the civil police post. At the observation post he watched the enemy's position facing the post and learned in detail about the enemy situation. He highly praised the servicemen for always keeping themselves fully combat ready.

He noted that the Korean revolution is making triumphant progress, foiling the moves of the reactionaries at home and abroad thanks to the unknown efforts and warm patriotism of the frontline soldiers standing guard over the defence line of the country as firm as an iron wall.

"All the servicemen of the post standing in fierce confrontation with the enemy despite rain or snow and whether they are known or unknown are patriots", he said, instructing them to further tighten their frontline guard duty as required by the prevailing situation, always remembering the expectation of the party, the revolution, the country and its people.

He underscored the need for them to fully prepare themselves politically and ideologically and in military technique so as to beat back any surprise invasion by the enemy. To do so it is important to have strong faith and optimism that the socialist cause is sure to triumph and arm them with the anti-imperialist, anti-U.S. class consciousness, he stressed.

He went round a bedroom, mess hall and daily food store of the post to take warm care of its servicemen's living. He gave a pair of binoculars, automatic rifle and machine gun to the post as gifts and had a photo taken with its servicemen. The next leg of his inspection was the post of the third company of the second battalion under the unit.

He looked round the monument to the field guidance erected to convey the exploits of President Kim Il Sung and leader Kim Jong Il to posterity. He said with deep emotion that coming to his mind, visiting the post, was Kim Jong Il who visited the post during the Arduous March when the country was undergoing great difficulties. He instructed the servicemen of the post to defend the post which is an eastern gate to the country as firm as an iron wall, true to the noble intention of Kim Jong Il.

Going round a bed room, education room and mess hall, he said that there was nothing to spare for the servicemen on the forefront and it was necessary to make sure that the measures taken by the party pay off. He told the commanding officers to make redoubled efforts to provide the better living conditions to the servicemen.

He gave the post a pair of binoculars, an automatic rifle and a machine gun as gifts and had a photo taken with its service personnel.

He noted that the people of the DPRK can sleep in peace and the supreme commander feels rest assured as the service personnel of KPA Unit 171 are standing guard over the forefront as firm as an iron wall. He reposed the deepest trust in them, saying that the Central Committee of the WPK deeply trusts them.

He was accompanied by KPA Vice Marshal Hwang Pyong So, director of the General Political Bureau of the KPA, and Army General Ri Yong Gil, chief of the KPA General Staff, Army Col. General So Hong Chan, first vice-minister of the People's Armed Forces, and Army Col. General Pak Jong Chon, vice-chief of the KPA General Staff and director of its Fire-Command Department

KIM JONG UN GUIDES LIVE-SHELL FIRING EXERCISE OF KPA UNIT

Pyongyang, July 15 (KCNA) -- Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army Kim Jong Un, first secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and first chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK, guided the live-shell firing exercise of KPA Unit 171.

He mounted an observation post to learn about the plan for the exercise and the deployment of multiple launch rocket systems before issuing an order to rapidly take up the designated firing position.

After closely watching the combat movement of service personnel through binoculars, he set the order, method and targets of firepower strikes and issued an order to open fire.

The moment the rocket systems roared, shaking the mountain ranges on the forefront line, reflecting the will of the KPA service personnel to annihilate the enemy and Hero Height 351 was enveloped in powder smoke reminiscent of a battlefield.

Shells dropped in the sea like hail, making huge columns of water soar.

Watching the columns of water rising in succession, he said with great satisfaction that the artillerymen are very good at firing and all of them are crack shots.

He highly appreciated the successful drill, noting that all the targets hit by the artillery pieces in the fire positions on the forefront represented the eruption of the KPA service personnel's burning hatred and their expression of the strong resolution to retaliate against the enemy.

He stressed that he came to be convinced once again that all service personnel were only waiting for an offensive order from the supreme commander while keeping themselves highly alerted.

He said that the hostile forces are now getting more undisguised in their moves to isolate and stifle the socialist country but the Korean people can dynamically push forward the building of a thriving nation as the service personnel are defending the posts of the country as firm as an iron wall with ardent patriotism.

He indicated the important tasks to be fulfilled by the units on the front to make more thorough-going combat preparations.

He was accompanied by KPA Vice Marshal Hwang Pyong So, director of the General Political Bureau of the KPA, and Army General Ri Yong Gil, chief of the KPA General Staff, Army Col. General So Hong Chan, first vice-minister of the People's Armed Forces, and Army Col. General Pak Jong Chon, vice-chief of the KPA General Staff and director of its Fire-Command Department.