Kim Jong Un’s Unexpected Dinner Party: A Show of Strength or a Call for Loyalty?

According to the Korean Central News Agency, on the 10th, Kim Jong Un visited and provided on-site guidance at the Kim Jong Il Military Academy, which trains top military commanders. Kim toured various academy facilities, including classrooms, dormitories, cafeterias, and operational research rooms. Additionally, the report mentioned that Kim hosted a dinner with the faculty and students, using a variety of foods he brought himself, leading to a meat banquet.

Photos released in North Korea show portable gas burners, grills prepared on the tables, and wet wipes placed at each spot. Additionally, meat, lettuce, various wrapped vegetables, kimchi, and sauces were neatly arranged in dishes, presumably for seasoning.

More than five apples and pears were also piled up, referred to as ‘gold’ in South Korea. Currently, due to aging agricultural workers and labor shortages in South Korea, the cultivation area for the six significant fruits, including apples and pears, has decreased by 1.1% compared to last year. With supply unable to meet demand and rising prices, the cost of apples and pears has soared. While it cannot be conclusively stated that North Korea’s display of piled-up apples and pears in the photos is targeting South Korea, it could imply a challenge from North Korea indicating that we eat apples and pears freely, especially given the significant mentions of various prices during the April 10 general election.

In a photo taken from the cafeteria to what is believed to be the operational research room, a prominent South Korean map labeled Main Roads in Puppet South Korea Area is hung on the wall, and a model labeled Central Seoul is also set up.

This local guidance at the Kim Jong Il Military Academy was attended by Pak Jong Chon, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers’ Party, along with Kang Sun Nam, the Minister of Defense, Ri Yong Gil, the Chief of the General Staff of the People’s Army, and other high-ranking military officials. The Ministry of Unification focused on introducing the former Chief of the General Political Bureau of the Army, Hwang Pyong So, to the new position of Chief Advisor of the Ministry of National Defense. According to the Ministry, it was the first time that the official media in North Korea had called Hwang as Chief Advisor, suggesting the possibility that he had been granted new power.

According to the Korean Central News Agency, Kim stressed, “Now is the time when we need to be more thoroughly prepared for war with the enemy than ever before,” and “It’s not simply a war that could happen, but a war that we must win, and for that, we must be more firmly and perfectly prepared.”

He also ordered absolute loyalty and obedience to the guidance of the party’s central leadership, stating, “Overcoming the enemy’s military and numerical superiority with the superiority of ideology and tactics is an unchangeable law of victory.”

The news agency introduced the Kim Jong Il Military Academy as an educational institution specializing in training military officers for operations against South Korea, calling it ‘the supreme hall of military education’ and stating that it has been nurturing countless key military personnel since March 1973.

Experts believe that the Kim Jong Il Military Academy, which first appeared in the October 2020 military parade marking the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party, may have changed its name from a previously existing military academy.

Moon Seong Mook, head of the Unification Strategy Center at the Korea National Strategy Institute, a private research organization, said, ” Kim has been focusing on military actions since around the time of the South Korea-US joint exercise Freedom Shield last month, and this is followed by messages that encourage internal cohesion and loyalty.”

Furthermore, Dr. Hong Min of the Unification Research Institute, a national research institute under the South Korean government, reported that Kim Jong Un has continuously emphasized a war-ready posture since he explicitly defined South Korea as an enemy country at war.

Dr. Hong analyzed, “North Korea has previously announced constitutional amendments through the Supreme People’s Assembly, including territorial clauses, so it is showing externally that it is paying attention to even the small details such as the cultivation of officer qualities, and is ready to go to war at any time in preparation for tensions that may arise in the maritime area when such amendments are made.”

In addition, Dr. Hong pointed out that by exposing a photo containing a map of South Korea’s roads and a model of Seoul, North Korea is revealing the threat of the possibility of war with South Korea to secure deterrence against the United States.

He speculated that continuous messages from North Korea about the risk of war on the Korean Peninsula, amid ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and the China-US confrontation over the Taiwan Strait, aim to restrain U.S. actions.

There is also speculation that Kim’s continuous military actions targeting South Korea are attempts to create a rift in the trilateral alliance between South Korea, the U.S., and Japan.

Kim Jong Un also publicly showcased U.S. rice and meat side dishes when he inspected the 105th Tank division and its subordinate regiments in Seoul on the 24th of last month. At that time, a bowl of white rice the size of a soup bowl was heaped in front of the People’s Army, and side dishes such as what is believed to be chicken and boiled eggs were placed.

An official from the Ministry of Unification mentioned that during his regimental inspections last month (March), Kim Jong Un also toured the dining facilities, staging a scene of caring for living conditions, and stated, “The purpose is to actively promote loyalty and cohesion by encouraging the military.”