[Editor's Note] Meetings of the Korean Workers' Party's Political Bureau, the top decision-making organ in North Korea, are generally held in secret. Even their convening is not publicized. The following are excerpts from General Secretary Kim Jong Il's address delivered at a Political Bureau meeting, confirmed to have taken place on February 4, 1999. At that time Pyongyang, undergoing serious economic difficulties, was hoisting the banner of constructing a "military and economic power" in the wake of the successful launching of a ballistic missile, Daepodong 1 (August 31, 1998), and inter-Korean relations were at a standstill.

"The successful orbiting of our fist manmade satellite has created a big stir in the world. The successful launching of 'Kwangmyong Star 1,' using our own strength and technology, in the face of imperialists' schemes to isolate and ruin our country with an economic embargo on top of natural disasters hitting the country for several years in a row, represents a major victory of our version of socialism.

Based on a firm faith in our own strength and technology, we should produce even better satellites in the future. The first round of artillery has already been fired toward the construction of a military and economic power, and we should fire the second and third rounds in succession.

Imperialists are lately attempting to spread bourgeois ideas, while intensifying anti-socialist machinations. South Korean authorities, renewing their dreams of 'unifying the country through absorption,' are attempting to rouse a current of bourgeois liberalism.

Especially vulnerable to the current of bourgeois liberalism incited by imperialists are young people. Once contaminated, young people are liable to lose faith in socialism and harbor illusions about capitalism. Eventually they may take the path of betraying their fatherland and the people.

Enhancing the young people's loyalty to the party and leader, and reinforcing their education on juche (self-reliance) ideology, we should leave no niche for bourgeois ideology take a foothold.

At the party central committee's Political Bureau meeting today, leading economic workers, fully aware of the intentions of the party, should uphold the revolutionary spirit of self-revival and arduous struggle in all areas and at all levels, and effectively carry out the remaining economic tasks.

And unless the people's armed forces are reinforced, neither can we sustain the achievements we've already made in our revolution, nor can we accomplish socialism, nor can we achieve national unification. Revolutionary morale must be firmly established in the armed forces, under which servicemen fulfill party tasks faithfully against all adversities and share life or death with our party. The party and armed forces are inseparably connected with each other. A party not in tight control of the military cannot wield power, and armed forces not led by the party cannot become strong combat troops. The infallibility of a revolutionary party can be secured only if and when it is defended by the military, and revolutionary armed forces can display might only if they are led by the revolutionary party which organizes and mobilizes the masses.

The party and the armed forces, when their power is combined, can defeat any enemies, win revolutionary struggles, and lead socialist tasks to victory. In this sense, it can be said in our country the party equates with the armed forces and the armed forces with the party."