North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said on February 25 that his country had come a long way in building a powerful army, but weapons without ideology are just "iron", Reuters reported.
He stressed the loyalty of some of the most elite military units.
Kim's remarks at the "Kim Il-sung" Political University come at a time of political uncertainty at home, with his soldiers fighting for Russia against Ukraine reportedly suffering heavy losses.
As the Korean People's Army aims to become the world's strongest army, the focus of the mission must be "nothing but the political, ideological, spiritual and moral advantages of the army of the party and the people", Kim said.
"Saying that weapons without ideology are little less than iron products, he made it clear that the building of the KPA must be unwaveringly and entirely oriented towards giving priority to strengthening the army politically, ideologically and morally," the KCNA news agency reported.
The school is a training base for officers who go on to serve in the country's powerful political apparatus of more than 1 million active military personnel, exercising political control led by the ruling Workers' Party.
Kim said the party highly values "the unparalleled loyalty and heroism to overcome difficulties and sacrifice bravely if the country calls", adding that "the ideological and moral superiority of the army means the qualitative superiority of the army".
Kim did not specifically mention the United States or South Korea in the speech, but said the allies were responsible for escalating regional tensions. He promised countermeasures, including building more nuclear weapons, even though U.S. President Donald Trump said he would reach out to Kim.
North Korea has also not officially acknowledged its military support for Russia in the war in Ukraine.