Pyongyang, March 2 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the General Staff of the Korean People's Army (KPA) issued the following statement Thursday as the U.S. imperialists and the south Korean puppet warmongers kicked off joint military exercises for aggression against the DPRK on Wednesday:
The largest-ever war drills will reportedly be staged by unprecedentedly huge aggressor forces including the U.S. imperialist forces present in south Korea, reinforced U.S. forces from overseas, south Korean puppet troops and forces of various vassal states. To be involved in this muscle-flexing are various type strategic assets such as striking groups of U.S. nuclear carriers Ronald Reagan and Carl Vinson, nuclear submarines, nuclear strategic bombers, stealth fighters and Aegis destroyers.
Lots of U.S. war operation groups and nuclear strike means deployed in south Korea and in its vicinity have already begun moving to the positions for invasion of the north.
The enemies openly announced that Key Resolve and Foal Eagle this year would involve rehearsals for putting into a more concrete shape the 4D operation for preemptive attack on the DPRK and, at the same time, drills under the simulated conditions of deployment of THAAD.
The above-said saber-rattling assumes ever-growing danger as it is under way after the U.S. imperialists secretly introduced at least 6 million tons of ammunition and war hardware into south Korea from the end of last year and took recently even the measure for urgent evacuation of families of U.S. forces in south Korea and those with U.S. citizenship staying there.
In view of the prevailing grave situation the General Staff of the KPA clarifies the following principled stand of the revolutionary armed forces of the DPRK:
1. Now that the U.S. imperialists and the south Korean puppet forces again kicked off the dangerous nuclear war drills against the DPRK at its doorstep, our army will counter them with the toughest counteractions as it had already declared.
This stand of ours clarified before the world is by no means an empty talk.
2. Should the U.S. imperialists and the south Korean puppet forces fire even a single shell into the waters where the sovereignty of our Republic is exercised, the KPA will immediately launch its merciless military counter-actions.
They should not forget that our revolutionary armed forces have everything in place and are always on alert.
3. The forces of vassal countries will be targets of our strikes as they are imprudently involved in the on-going saber-rattling, toeing the U.S. imperialists' hostile policy towards the DPRK.
They have to bear in mind that those lackeys have always met a miserable fate for recklessly running wild, backed by their master.
The KPA will mercilessly foil the nuclear war racket of the aggressors with its treasured nuclear sword of justice.
Kim Jong Un Plants Trees with Students of Mangyongdae Revolutionary School
Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea, chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK and supreme commander of the Korean People's Army, visited Mangyongdae Revolutionary School and planted trees with its students on Thursday, the Tree-planting Day.
When respected Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un together with Ri Sol Ju arrived at the school, its students and teachers who were planting trees broke into cheers of "hurrah!"
He met students and kindly asked about their ages, grades and study and organizational life with fatherly love, patting their cheeks.
Saying that today is the significant Tree-planting Day when President Kim Il Sung took the lead in the tree-planting campaign, he added that students of Mangyongdae Revolutionary School came into his mind when he was thinking of where he would plant trees on the significant day and he visited them.
He noted that the students of the school who are growing to be successors and backbone elements of the revolution should duly take the lead in planting trees, too.
He said that the teachers should lead the students to devote their sincerity and enthusiasm to the tree-planting with extraordinary awareness that they should display their clean conscience and ardent patriotism before planting trees and with will to take good care of woodland even if their bodies may serve as roots and base manure.
He noted that only when one has warm love for the country from one's childhood, can one become a true patriot and a genuine official desired by the Party who does any work oneself for the prosperity of the country at any post assigned to one by the Party in the future.
He taught the students in a way easy to understand, saying it is possible to ensure the rate of rooting when trees are planted in line with the scientific and technical requirements and what is important in tree planting is not how many trees are planted but how many trees are rooted.
Then he personally planted trees for a long while, digging a hole, watering and tamping.
The students, encouraged by his guidance, hastened their work.
Looking with attention at the planted trees one by one, he praised all of the students for doing good work. He said they would recollect today, seeing the trees that grew tall when they visit this place as adults.
Enjoying a bird's-eye view of the school clad in thick verdure, he said that the school has a thick woodland and now there may be no space for planting trees.
He told officials to let the students visit the places associated with the immortal leadership exploits of President Kim Il Sung and leader Kim Jong Il including the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun and plant trees there, and tour modern Tree Nursery 122 of the Korean People's Army so that they may learn the scientific way of planting trees.
He urged the students who are growing, drinking water and breathing air in Mangyongdae to set an example in the forest restoration campaign.
He set forth tasks which would serve as guidelines for the school's upbringing and education and management and operation.
He had a photo session with the students of the school.
March 3
