Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of North Korea’s Workers’ Party, has recently been emphasizing the need to bolster irregular forces. He has repeatedly mentioned the concept of universal armament, which implies arming all citizens. On Thursday, analysts suggested that Kim is likely ramping up his preparedness in response to U.S. airstrikes and leadership ousters in Venezuela and Iran.
Hong Min, a Senior Research Fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, noted in his report, Analysis of the 15th Supreme People’s Assembly’s First Session: Defense Sector, that Kim’s emphasis on universal armament and national fortification during his speech at the Supreme People’s Assembly on Monday is somewhat unusual.
During his address, Kim declared that North Korea would maintain readiness to respond swiftly and accurately to U.S. acts of terrorism and invasion, effectively managing strategic threats to national and regional security. He specifically stated that it will prioritize allocating sufficient human and material resources to achieve universal armament and national fortification while rigorously implementing the modernization of our armed forces and advancing the defense industry for this new era.
Hong interpreted this statement as aligning with key priorities presented by North Korea at the 9th Party Congress last month. These priorities include enhancing the combat capabilities and coordination of the Social Security Forces and the Workers-Peasant Red Guards, as well as developing plans to standardize military bases and construct new military infrastructure.
He pointed out that universal armament and national fortification are concepts that have not frequently appeared in past Party Congresses or in Kim’s speeches. Hong noted a prevailing atmosphere urging preparation of a response posture that includes civilian forces and irregular troops against the possibility of sudden conflict.
Hong also believes that the Donald Trump administration’s military operations, which aimed to oust Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei through large-scale airstrikes, influenced this shift. He suggested that North Korea has recognized the necessity of bolstering regional defense capabilities centered on the civilian sector, separate from its focus on nuclear development and strengthening its regular military.
Kim’s mention of introducing a new police system and reorganizing the people’s units in his speech can be understood in the same context. It appears that North Korea is attempting to institutionalize various measures to ensure long-term regime stability during this Party Congress and Supreme People’s Assembly.
In response, Hong advised that our government should focus diplomatic efforts on developing a threat reduction program for practical management of nuclear threats. This approach should be coupled with a strategy of strategic patience that considers medium- to long-term structural changes rather than short-term pressure on North Korea.