DPRK Premier Pak Pong Ju (3rd L) tours a factory in Hamhu’ng, capital of South Hamgyo’ng Province (Photo: KCNA-Yonhap)
DPRK state media reported on 9 June (Sunday) that DPRK Cabinet Premier Pak Pong Ju toured six factories in Hamhu’ng, provincial capital of South Hamgyo’ng Province. Pak toured the 8 February Vinalon Complex, the Hu’ngnam Fertilizer Complex and the Ryo’ngso’ng Machine Complex. He “in detail about the production of fertilizer and essential chemical goods there” and held meetings with factory officials. According to KCNA, at the meetings Pak Pong Ju “underscored the need to glorify the proud tradition in which the workers there upheld the Workers’ Party of Korea with successes in boosting production in each grim period of revolution” and he “called on the enterprises to bring about innovations as they play important roles in increasing production in agricultural and light industrial fields, the key fields in economic construction this year, and in improving people’s living standard, in response to the call of the WPK.” The meetings “discussed issues of ensuring profitability in enterprise management and business activities as required by the new century.”
The Ryongsong Machine Complex in Hamhu’ng, South Hamgyo’ng Province (Photo: Google image)
The Hu’ngnam Fertilizer Complex in the Hu’ngnam district, Hamhu’ng, South Hamgyo’ng Province (Photo: Google image).
The Hamhu’ng Knitwear Factory and Hamhu’ng Woolen Mill in Hamhu’ng, South Hamgyo’ng Province (Photo: Google image).
Pak also toured Hamhu’ng Woolen Mill, Hamhu’ng Knitwear Factory and Hu’ngnam Electrode Factory. In meetings with factory officials, Pak discussed upgrades to the factories’ production facilities and the meetings “took measures for solving issues arising in technological updating, including rationally distributing equipment, making up for the missing production processes and improving heat control.”
According to DPRK state media reporting, Pak Pong Ju’s visit to Hamhu’ng was tied to Kim Jong Un’s recent “Maiknyo’ng Speed” campaign appeal, which was announced on 4 June. The “Masiknyo’ng Speed” refers to the completion of a ski park on the border of Kangwo’n and South Hamgyo’ng Provinces by the end of 2013. In issuing his appeal Kim Jong Un held the Korean People’s Army [KPA] personnel working on the ski park as examples of model workers and wrote that “All the people, including the working class, agricultural workers, and intellectuals, firmly grasp the party’s simultaneous line on pushing forward economic construction and the building of nuclear armed forces and follow and learn from the Masingnyo’ng soldier-builders’ fighting spirit, thus becoming fighters of death-defying implementation and performers of feats in this meaningful year’s general onward march!” and that “I firmly believe that our soldiers and people, who have always been loyal to the party’s leadership, will complete the construction of the Masik Pass Skiing Ground without fail through mass heroism and bold attack spirit in this meaningful year greeting the 65th founding anniversary of the Republic and the 60th anniversary of the victory in the Fatherland Liberation War and usher in a new heyday on all fronts of powerful state construction.”
Filed under: 2013 Strategic Rhetoric, Central Committee, Central Military Committee, central party life, chemical facilities, critical infrastructure, DPRK Cabinet, DPRK Premier, Financial Planning Department, food production, Guard Command, Kim Jong-un, Korean People's Army (KPA), Korean Workers' Party (KWP), KPA construction battalions, KPA construction brigades, KPA supernumerary organizations, KWP Provincial People's Committee, KWP Science and Education Department, Light Industry Department, local people's committees, Machine Building Industry Department, March 2013 KWP Central Committee Meeting (plenary session), Masikryo'ng (Masiknyo'ng) Speed Battle (2013), Ministry of Chemical Industry, Ministry of Construction and Building Materials Industry, Ministry of Food and Procurement, Ministry of Light Industry, Ministry of Machine-Building Industry, Ministry of State Construction Control, North Korean press, Organization and Guidance Department, Pak Pong Ju, Party elders, party life, Political Bureau, primary party committees, Provincial Party Committees, Provinicial People's Committee, Secretariat, South Hamgyo'ng KWP Provincial Committee, South Hamgyo'ng Provincial People's Committee, State Planning Commission (SPC)
