During the Days of Additional Production

A Story Told by a Planning Official of the Pyongyang Bag Factory

The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un said as follows:

“The first priority of our Party and state policies is always the measures for the younger generation, and this will be the absolute and immutable principle of the Workers' Party of Korea, the eternal state policy.”

Not long ago, when we visited the Pyongyang Bag Factory, we heard an impressive story from a planning official. It was about the factory, which had finished the national economic plan for the first half of the year a full month ahead of schedule, producing many additional bags and supplying them to primary school students.

His story contained an answer to what kind of conscience and work attitude officials and workers responsible for carrying out socialist policies should have in fulfilling their duties.

On May 30, the manager's face was full of joy as he looked over the daily production report.

They had completed the bag production plan for the first half of the year ahead of schedule. Moreover, all the produced bags had been rated as pass in the quality inspection.

It felt as if all the fatigue and tension that had built up over that period were released at once.

Just then, an official from a superior unit called.

He congratulated them on completing the national economic plan for the first half of the year ahead of schedule and encouraged them to vigorously push ahead with the additional production of student bags during the remaining month.

The manager's heart swelled with joy again.

Sometime later, with a pleased heart, he was leaving the office building.

His gaze caught sight of an elderly woman pacifying her grandson in front of the factory's main gate.

What was the matter?

His footsteps unconsciously led him there.

After a moment, the manager heard from the elderly woman that her grandson was very mischievous, so his bag broke and they came to the factory, but they were being pestered because there was no bag of the color he wanted.

After parting with the elderly woman that day, the manager felt troubled and could hardly focus on his work.

Suddenly, he recalled an incident he had witnessed months earlier at the Chongjong Primary School in Rakrang District.

That day, the school was supplying bags produced by the factory to the new pupils. The new pupils, carrying bags well made to suit their childish tastes, were laughing and chattering happily. Beside them, parents were overflowing with joy, looking here and there. As he was watching this scene contentedly, a woman approached him. The reason she sought him out was to ask if there were any pink bags, saying her daughter attending the school was insisting on having a pink bag. He felt terrible. There were no pink bags left.

...

The sound of knocking pulled the manager from his thoughts.

A official in charge of planning entered the room with a document related to the additional production of student bags. Taking the document from him and looking it over, the manager, remembering the woman who had asked months ago at Chongjong Primary School in Rakrang District if there were more pink bags, said this:

“As I felt then, don't parents demand student bags that suit their children's tastes and preferences? But here, only the total quantity of student bags to be additionally produced in June is specified. Let's take the time to understand what kind of bags students and parents require and then proceed with the additional production.”

At the same time, the manager frankly expressed his regret, saying that even we officials responsible for student bag production are not specifically examining the extent of demand according to bag color and style, and that if we are only hasty about increasing production numbers, we cannot provide our students with quality bags that suit their tastes and preferences.

Looking at the manager immersed in self-reproach and reflection, the planning official could not hold back his rising emotions.

In his ears echoed the manager's voice, urging them to deeply engrave in their hearts and thoroughly implement the teachings of the respected Comrade General Secretary given during his always on-the-spot guidance at the factory.

After that incident, the manager went to the Party organization and reflected on himself, saying that he had thought fulfilling the national economic plan and producing many student bags was doing his duty, and although he had deeply felt in emotion the fact that the Party and state are pouring enormous resources into raising all the children of the country without a single shadow, and had made many resolutions, he had not acted accordingly in practice.

From the next day, under the guidance of the Party organization, the factory specifically grasped the number of unusable or additionally required bags, and how many bags of which color were demanded, through student bag repair teams sent to schools. And every day, based on this data, they selected designs and pushed ahead with bag production.

Then one day.

The manager learned that several of the many produced bags had been rated as不合格 (fail).

(While carrying out the national economic plan for the first half of the year, there wasn't a single defective product. Why did this phenomenon appear?)

Holding this question, he inspected the site.

In the process, he could understand that the cause of the defective products was that some employees had relaxed their vigilance, thinking it was just additional production, and had been negligent in their work.

Faced with this serious problem that could not be overlooked, he reflected on his own work attitude before blaming the workers.

He himself had failed to pay attention in time to the deviations that could appear in product quality assurance during the additional production process.

At a meeting of employees held that day, the manager criticized himself for not directing production organization and command towards guaranteeing the quality of student bags at the highest level, and then appealed as follows:

“What kind of bags are the student bags we make? They are bags for which the respected Comrade General Secretary personally guided the designs and even deeply concerned himself with the issue of putting more sponge into the shoulder parts of the backpack straps. Let us all deeply engrave the Party's intention to bring up the growing younger generation as the most excellent in the world and devote the utmost sincerity to each product.”

Upon hearing his sincere outpouring, the hearts of each employee were fervently reminded of the teachings of the respected Comrade General Secretary given during his on-the-spot guidance at the factory eight years ago.

The respected Comrade General Secretary had said that he feels pleased imagining the children laughing and chatting going to and from school carrying the stylish bags we made, and that only when we make and provide our children with everything they need can they possess the true patriotic spirit of treasuring what is theirs, calling the Pyongyang Bag Factory a treasure factory.

Fiery voices erupted here and there on the site, calling to bring about a new innovation in bag production as the respected Comrade General Secretary earnestly entrusted on that glorious day.

From that moment, quality improvement competitions by workplace, work team, and individual were conducted with even greater vigor.

Employees actively explored and introduced methods to maximize the quality of student bags by combining their experiences and creative wisdom amidst the high flames of the mass technical innovation movement. Each unit strictly conducted daily work summaries focused on quality improvement.

Amidst this, the factory was able to produce and supply many more bags to students.

The planning official's story ended here.

As we parted, he said this:

“Through this additional production process, we came to understand more deeply that only when we pour our sincerity and effort into making even a single bag with a mother's heart can we thoroughly carry out the socialist policies for the younger generation.”

It was a remark with deep resonance, enlightening us on what mindset and practice are needed to sincerely uphold the Party's intention for our descendants.

Correspondent Kim Hak Chol

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News from Correspondents

Kanggye Construction Materials Factory Splendidly Rebuilt

In Jagang Province

The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un said as follows:

“In construction, what kind of finishing materials are used is important, and if the problem of finishing materials is solved, construction can be done well as intended.”

The Kanggye Construction Materials Factory has been rebuilt into a comprehensive finishing materials production base with significant potential to contribute to the realization of the Party's local development policy. With its interior, exterior, and surrounding environment splendidly arranged and the modernization of the production process realized at a high level, the factory can mass-produce finishing materials including various exterior wall materials.

Responsible officials of Jagang Province, who set the goal of resolving the finishing materials needed for local construction on their own, upholding the Party's intention, frequently visited the reconstruction and modernization construction site to solve emerging problems promptly, ensuring the construction progressed according to schedule.

Although the encountered difficulties and challenges were not few, the factory's officials and employees, combining their wisdom and strength and learning from the good experiences of advanced units, produced the finishing material production equipment on their own. Particularly, they focused efforts on establishing production processes that could ensure product quality while lowering the per-unit consumption standard.

Not long ago, the finishing materials produced by the factory based on raw material sources common in its locality received excellent evaluations at a nationwide exhibition.

Now the factory is vigorously waging a struggle to place quality assurance of finishing materials first and to maximize the utilization ratio of local raw materials.

Correspondent Ko Chol Myong

Substantially Advancing Science and Technology Learning

- At the Songhan Fruit Farm -

Photo by Correspondent Kim Myong Hun

Fulfillment of Milk Powder Production Target

In North Hamgyong Province

Upholding the Party's lofty intention to provide better nurturing conditions for the children, the future of the country, North Hamgyong Province is accelerating the implementation of the childcare policy and achieving clear results.

According to comprehensive data, the province has fully fulfilled the planned milk powder production target for this year.

Under the guidance of the Provincial Party Committee, the province set the goal of ensuring the production of more dairy products on its own and courageously launched a struggle for its realization. It sent relevant officials to cities and counties to comprehensively understand the actual state of milk powder production facilities and to put great effort into expanding facilities and enhancing performance. In particular, it ensured the production of over a hundred vacuum concentration equipment before entering dairy product production, enabling dairy product production units in cities and counties to improve quality and quantity. At the same time, it heightened the competitive enthusiasm by city and county to vigorously complete milk powder production at a high qualitative level, while establishing regular summary work to double the masses' production enthusiasm.

Hoeryong City set an example. The city put primary effort into improving the quality of milk powder while establishing active measures to increase production, fulfilling the planned tasks ahead of schedule. Onsong County established active measures to enhance the production capacity of dairy processing equipment while increasing the number of milk goats. Other regions, including Musan County, also focused on fulfilling the milk powder production target and achieved results.

Correspondor Jong Hyok Chol

Spurring on the Work of Training Skilled Workers

In Sinpho City

Sinpho City is spurring on the work of training skilled workers to normalize the operation of modern local industry factories established this year.

The city is putting effort into ensuring that relevant officials fulfill their responsibilities in the work of training skilled workers, which holds significant importance in the implementation of the Party's local development policy.

City officials are actively guiding by going to the field to specifically understand the situation of the skilled worker training work, solving problems, and achieving practical progress.

Particular attention is being paid to strengthening the material and technical foundation of the vocational technical school and improving the quality of education.

The city is newly equipping the school's various practice rooms and smoothly providing equipment.

Furthermore, deep attention is being paid to guaranteeing the working and living conditions of the teachers so they can devote themselves to the teaching work.

Teachers at the vocational technical school are actively striving to cultivate outstanding talents while continuously innovating teaching methods so that students possess practical skills they can actually use in reality. Simultaneously, they are putting effort into ensuring students acquire high technical skills in relevant fields, including clothing processing technology.

The city is also putting effort into raising the technical skill level of new workers. Work is being substantially advanced to improve their technical skill level, including actively having new workers participate in technical training sessions conducted by the center and the province.

Correspondent Kim Kyong Chol

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Focusing on Improving Product Quality and Developing New Products

The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un said as follows:

“Efforts must be put into light industry development to solve the problem of people's consumer goods.”

Officials and producers in the footwear industry sector, deeply aware of the importance of the task they shoulder in improving people's lives, continue to put great effort into improving product quality and developing new products.

Officials of the Light Industry Department are conducting economic organization and command in a leading and detailed manner to ensure the production of more new types of footwear favored by the people. In particular, through product appraisal meetings held monthly, they are raising the requirement for officials, technicians, and workers of each footwear factory to actively share their achievements and experiences and achieve qualitative development in footwear production.

At the Ryuwon Footwear Factory, imbued with the Party's leadership achievements, work is being accelerated for the diversification, variety, multicoloring, and lightweighting of footwear.

Factory officials keep in mind that there are ways to improve quality by enhancing equipment performance and are focusing on this work. Alongside this, they are pushing ahead with the technical modernization of the shoemaking process and newly establishing a process for removing impurities from raw materials, among other things, so that the employee masses unanimously rise up in the work of improving product quality.

At the Wonsan Shoe Factory, they are always going among the consumers, grasping their opinions, seeking ways to improve product quality, and prioritizing design creation.

Utilizing modern cutting machines to increase cutting efficiency, while gripping the domestic production and recycling of raw materials, they are putting effort into new product development, fashionably making shoes suited to the characteristics of different age groups and genders.

The Wonsan Footwear Factory is pushing ahead in a planned manner with the work of raising the technical skill level of technicians and skilled workers, bringing about a clear change in strengthening its own technical force. The factory's technicians and workers are actively developing the mass technical innovation movement, such as establishing a rational sewing process and introducing a method of stamping various molds on shoe uppers, achieving progress in quality improvement.

The Hamhung Footwear Factory is methodically pushing ahead with work to establish a orderly system for training technicians and skilled workers, substantially operating the science and technology dissemination room, and adopting the achievements and experiences of advanced units according to its actual conditions, thereby improving the qualitative indicators of products.

Now, officials and producers in the footwear industry sector are doubling their efforts to produce more diverse products qualitatively and in greater quantity, taking the people's evaluation as the sole criterion.

Correspondent Choe Hyon Gyong

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Benefiting from Well Establishing the Raw Material Base

- In Yontan County -

 

 

Photo by Sin Chol

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High Enthusiasm to Join the Ranks of the Best Agricultural Counties

The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un said as follows:

“To farm well, agricultural sector officials and farm workers responsible for the country's rice bowl must fulfill their responsibilities and duties.”

City and county officials and agricultural workers across the country, deeply cherishing the Party's great love that opened a new era of rural revival, are charging ahead with farming work.

Officials of city and county agricultural guidance organs, deeply aware of their responsibility, are conducting operations and command more powerfully under the goal of significantly increasing grain output this year and definitely joining the ranks of the best agricultural counties. They are focusing on raising backward farms, work teams, and sub-teams while putting effort into realizing agricultural informatization and increasing the proportion of mechanization.

In Jaeryong County and Yongan County, particular attention is being paid to raising the agricultural production of all farms to a high level together. They are promptly solving emerging problems by prioritizing the supply of farming materials to units that held backward positions in farming in the past period and also reinforcing technical forces. Realistic measures are being devised to increase the proportion of mechanization.

Officials and agricultural workers in Phyongwon County are doubling their efforts to conquer the grain heights without slowing down the momentum of preparing a satisfying wheat crop situation. The county is pushing ahead with work to realize agricultural informatization at a high level, while substantially conducting scientific farming guidance and management, and raising the requirement for all farms to more responsibly manage crop cultivation in accordance with their adoption of the Ureonggi organic farming method.

Officials and agricultural workers in Hwangju County are solidly pushing ahead with autumn harvest preparations alongside crop cultivation management. In every farm in the county, including Jangchon Farm, the day's tasks are unconditionally completed that day, securing a reliable guarantee for grain increase. The county continues to put effort into increasing the proportion of mechanization in agricultural work, such as modifying threshers and producing mobile grain dryers.

In Jongphyong County and Kumya County, work is normally proceeding to equip everyone from rural primary officials to farm members with agricultural science and technology. They are striving with all their might to achieve the goal of high yields by substantially organizing socialist competitions between units and among agricultural workers, and generalizing good farming experiences.

Officials and agricultural workers in other cities and counties, including Anbyon County, are also powerfully stepping forward towards conquering the grain heights this year, bearing the resolve to join the ranks of the best agricultural counties.

Correspondent

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The Shortcut to High Yields Lies in Emphasizing Figures and Science & Technology

Establishing a system and order for working based on accurate figures and science and technology is emerging as an important issue for rural primary officials.

The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un said as follows:

“To solve the food problem in our country, where arable land area is limited, farming must be done scientifically and technologically to increase the per-hectare grain yield.”

The agricultural production process can be said to be a continuation of scientific and technological processes. And work related to farming is conducted in the natural environment, and every bit of it is time-sensitive.

Therefore, even when drawing up an operation plan and creating a schedule, they must be concrete and detailed so that the entire process of a year's farming can proceed according to the Party's agricultural policy and the requirements of the Juche farming method.

Rice transplanting can be cited as an example.

According to data, transplanting rice seedlings just one day late in the paddy field has a not insignificant negative impact on increasing the per-hectare grain production. Ultimately, the sweat shed for transplanting becomes fruitless, and it leads to wasteful phenomena of labor and materials.

The same is true in work such as weeding, fertilizer application, pest control, and other cultivation management, and in work to minimize damage from disastrous weather.

Reality shows that without putting an end to unscientific work attitudes like old farming experience, guesswork, and rule of thumb, and without meticulously planning and executing all farming work under scientific calculation based on figures, the goal of high yields cannot be successfully achieved.

It is paramount to have a firm recognition that emphasizing figures and science & technology is the path to grain increase.

It is not the attitude of a rural primary official responsible for an agricultural production unit to work in an old-fashioned way and unfold work in a haphazard manner while only paying lip service to scientific farming.

With the awareness that one is responsible for a unit on the important agricultural front for improving people's lives, the correct attitude of a rural primary official facing the implementation of the Party's agricultural policy is to plan and push ahead with all farming work, taking into account the characteristics by crop, variety, and paddy field, even considering the seasonal weather conditions, and considering the level and ability of the farm members.

When it comes to rice transplanting, it is important not to create a general plan saying to finish by when, but to develop work under a plan that numerically reflects all details, such as which variety of rice seedlings must be transplanted in which paddy field by which day, and what nutritional components, by what method, and approximately how many times must be supplemented during the overall growth period. Only by pushing ahead with work in this way can one place one's unit in the ranks of agricultural production.

Even if a plan is established numerically and flawlessly according to the specific actual conditions of one's unit, it does not execute itself. As such, pushing ahead to achieve substantial results with a scientific methodology for the once-established plan is another important problem that rural primary officials must not miss.

From a primary official who works mechanically, passively, negatively, and superficially without a research spirit, even though it's farming work repeated every year and always done, nothing will come out but formalism, expediency, and bragging, and such an agricultural production unit will never overcome stagnation and marking time.

Even when organizing crop cultivation management, one must accurately calculate how many farm members one's unit currently has, how much nutrient solution is secured, how many sprayers there are, and how the work should be organized to unfailingly carry out the schedule, and devise predictive measures to achieve the desired purpose.

Conducting summaries and evaluations based on accurate figures is of great significance in raising the agricultural production of the unit and enhancing the enthusiasm of the masses. In particular, only by institutionalizing the accurate numerical summary and evaluation of one's unit's work with guaranteed objectivity and fairness from the standpoint of national interests can unscientific empiricism and phenomena ignoring advanced farming techniques be overcome.

There are many other issues that rural primary officials must keep in mind when numerically and scientifically planning and executing a hundred farming tasks.

What is clear is that primary officials must ideologically cling with their lives to the implementation of the Party policy on emphasizing figures and gripping science and technology as a lifeline.

Today, when the struggle to increase agricultural production and completely solve the country's food problem is being powerfully waged, our Party's trust and expectations for rural primary officials are very great.

When all rural primary officials always keep this in mind and become enterprising designers, bold operators, and tenacious practitioners to lead the scientific farming of their units, a plentiful autumn will unfold across the socialist countryside.

Correspondent Pak Chol