North Korean media says North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has emphasized party-centered unity at an assembly of junior-level military officers and political commissars.
 
The North's official Korean Central News Agency said Friday that Kim attended the fourth meeting of company commanders and political directors of the Korean People's Army in Pyongyang on Tuesday and Wednesday. 
 
Kim called on the officers to rally firmly around the party and take the lead in overcoming trials and challenges. He ordered them to prepare and discipline their troops militarily and ideologically. 
 
It's the first time in 13 years for the North to hold a meeting of junior officers and political directors.
 
The news agency also said Kim delivered both the opening and closing speeches at the gathering. The unusual move apparently implies Kim places a particular significance in the role of company commanders and political directors.