Kim Jong-un chairs meet to strengthen rule over military

Pyongyang, Aug 4 (IANS) North Korean top leader Kim Jong-un presided over a meeting for exemplary commanding officers and servicemen aimed at strengthening the ruling party's leadership over the military, state media reported on Thursday.

According to North Korea's official news agency KCNA, the meeting from Tuesday to Wednesday marked the third meeting of members of the Korean People's Army (KPA) for such a mass movement and also the first since the seventh congress of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea in May.

In his speech, Kim emphasised efforts to strengthen the army in political, ideological and moral aspects and to round off combat preparations of the army, Xinhua news agency reported citing KCNA as saying.

"Only when this movement is conducted vigorously to hit the general target of building the Party's army, it is possible for the KPA to glorify down through generations the tradition of defending the Party and the revolution," Kim said.

Taking part in the meeting were senior army officials including Director of the General Political Bureau of the KPA Hwang Pyong So and Minister of People's Armed Forces Pak Yong Sik.