Kim Jong Un Visits Construction of 8 January Fishery Station

Kim Jong Un visits the construction of the KPA’s 8 January Fishery Station. 8 January is Kim Jong Un’s birthday (Photo: Rodong Sinmun).

DPRK state media reported on 23 February (Sunday) that Kim Jong Un (Kim Cho’ng-u’n) visited the construction of the Korean People’s Army’s [KPA] 8 January Fishery Station. Also in attendance were Han Kwang Sang (Director of the Korean Worker’s Party [KWP] Finance and Accounting Department), Hwang Pyong So (Deputy [vice] Director of the KWP Organization Guidance Department) and Ma Won Chun (Deputy [vice] Director of the KWP Finance and Accounting Department). Kim Jong Un’s last observed appearance was his visit to the KPA’s 2 November Food Factory.

Kim Jong Un began his visit with a briefing on the construction of the fishery station, described as “specializing in the supply of fishes to the baby homes, orphanages, orphans’ primary and secondary schools and the homes for the aged throughout the country.” He toured the construction of the fishery facilities and, according to KCNA, said “that the soldier-builders have done a lot of work in a brief span of time, making tremendous efforts despite cold waves.” He “praised them for their feats, adding that this was the fruition of the mental power displayed by them in the spirit of ‘at a go’.” He remarked that, ”I thought of the service personnel of the KPA who had carried out any task assigned to them, when I was making up my mind to build a modern fishery station here, and so, I declared I would entrust to them the project to which the party attached importance” and noted that “it was the firm determination of the party to build the fishery station as a model for the country.” According to KCNA he issued “instructions on completing the project in time” and “gave officials instructions to select captains and fishermen and prepare them as all-round fishermen in advance so that they may go out for a fishing operation right after the completion of the project.” Kim Jong Un also “expressed expectation and belief that the soldier-builders would successfully wind up the project as scheduled.”