North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called for the strengthening of the country's defense during a meeting with local activists who support the nation's army, according to Pyongyang's state media Wednesday.

Kim made the remarks in a photo session Tuesday with "activists in the traits of assisting the army," who were invited to Pyongyang as special delegates to last week's military parade marking the 75th founding anniversary of the armed forces, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

Kim praised them as patriots who are well aware "that the building of a powerful nation can be unthinkable without the powerful national defense and that assisting the army is the most vivid expression of patriotism," the KCNA said in an English-language report.

After attending the military parade, the group visited the mausoleum of Kim's late grandfather and father, and also toured other major sites in Pyongyang.

Observers said the North's special treatment of such activists appears to be aimed at eliciting public support for the regime's plan to bolster spending on defense despite the economic hardships driven by global sanctions and the COVID-19 pandemic. (Yonhap)