PYONGYANG - North Korea's new leader delivered his first major public speech on Sunday as the impoverished state celebrated the centenary of its founder's birth, and called for a push to "final victory" at a mass military parade in the country's capital.
A jowly Kim Jong-un, clad in black and the third Kim to rule North Korea, read monotonously from a script in Pyongyang's central square after goose-stepping soldiers and sailors showcased the North's military power in spring sunlight.In a move that indicated Kim would stick to the "military-first" policies that have put North Korea on the verge of nuclear weapons capacity, he lauded his grandfather, Kim Il-sung, and his father, Kim Jong-il, as the "founder and the builder of our revolutionary armed forces."
"Let us move forward to final victory," the 20-something leader urged tens of thousands of military and civilians as they applauded throughout his more than 20-minute speech.
