The True Party Members of the Great Metallurgical Base

At the No. 1 and No. 2 Furnace Workshops of the Kim Chaek Iron and Steel Complex

Whenever one hears the call of the Party, people think of the blast furnaces.

The oxygen-heated blast furnaces, which stand tall as mountains of self-reliance at the Kim Chaek Iron and Steel Complex, the great metallurgical base in the north, play an extremely significant role in the nation's metal industry and the development of the people's economy.

Today, our trustworthy working Party members are at the forefront, safeguarding those blast furnaces that vigorously pour forth the red molten iron of Juche, glowing like lava.

The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un said as follows:

"All Party members must always maintain the high consciousness of being Party members, become examples for the masses in the execution of revolutionary tasks, and be vanguard fighters who lead the masses."

The Party members who devote their lives before the blast furnaces with deep history possess exceptional pride and honor. This is the pride and reward of having demonstrated the true mettle of Koreans by producing 270,000 tons of pig iron, exceeding the nominal capacity of 190,000 tons during the period of post-war trials, and of firmly carrying forward the spirit of loyalty and patriotism of the entire generation of the working class that resolutely defended the Party Central Committee.

At the forefront of the struggle to firmly defend the Party through increased molten iron production, the Party members of the No. 1 and No. 2 Furnace Workshops always stand.

One day several months ago, during tapping operations at the No. 2 Furnace Workshop, after the molten iron was tapped from the furnace, the tap hole needed to be plugged, but for some reason, the clay gun did not operate properly. With every passing moment, the Party members' hearts grew tighter. If the tap hole was not plugged in time, furnace operations would have to be suspended, and production would be impossible for several days.

Furnace Manager Jo Chol Gun and Workteam Chief of Furnace Body No. 1 Jang Chong Guk, who always keep in mind a firm resolve that Juche iron production must not be halted under any circumstances, sprang into action to plug the tap hole. Step by step, they approached the tap hole from which hot molten iron was gushing; their figures were exactly like those of the immortal heroes who advanced towards the enemy's fire points during the days of the war.

Workteam Party members followed them. Combining their wisdom and strength, they finally succeeded in plugging the blast furnace's tap hole. Thus, they paved the way for ensuring normal furnace operation and continuing to accelerate molten iron production.

Where there are Party members, nothing is impossible. This slogan resonating in the melting shops is the extraordinary consciousness of the Party members who reliably safeguard the breath of the great metallurgical base.

On one occasion, the task of repairing the furnace arose before the No. 2 Furnace Workshop. A preliminary calculation showed that it would solidly take several days. In particular, to remove the furnace bottom and carry out the lining work on the furnace walls, the furnace had to be cooled for several hours.

What surged fiercely in the heart of every Party member at that time?

If one sits and waits for safe conditions to be provided, molten iron production decreases, and accordingly, the progress of the motherland slows down. Let us break through and overcome the encountered difficulties.

The primary Party secretary entered the furnace first, together with the Party cell secretaries. Their devoted figures, drenching their whole bodies in sweat while removing the furnace bottom and breaking through the repair work, struck a chord in people's hearts.

All Party members of the workshop sprang into action unanimously. Workers from various furnace body workteams overcame unfavorable conditions to carry out the furnace wall lining work and solved the shortage of materials by exploring and mobilizing internal reserves.

Technicians waged an unending battle of research, successively presenting technological innovation proposals and rationalization proposals that could advance the furnace repair. Officials established emergency measures to qualitatively complete repairs on various systems and equipment. A firm will to live and struggle like the Party members of the entire generation who glorified the Chollima era through increased molten iron production was reflected on each of their faces. Through the Party members' desperate struggle, the furnace repair time was significantly shortened, and the blast furnace again emitted a fierce heat wave.

Because they value the call of a workers' Party member more dearly than their lives, although difficulties were layered and shortcomings were not few, they unhesitatingly devote everything of themselves to tap even one more batch of molten iron.

One deep night, while checking the operational status of the No. 2 Blast Furnace, Pipeline Workteam Head Yun Kwang Sun discovered a defective cooling box. If the cooling box burst and water entered the furnace, the productivity and quality of the molten iron could drop. However, the problem was finding the defective cooling box among many. The easy method was to stop and cool the furnace and then find and repair it, but doing so would mean being unable to produce molten iron for several days.

As a long-time Party member, he decided to take on the task himself. No one ordered him, and no one was watching his actions.

Possessing a pure Party conscience, he did not waver even under unfavorable working conditions. Finally, he found the defective cooling box, repaired it in time, and ensured the normal operation of the furnace.

Through the devoted struggle of the vanguard fighters who carry the red Party membership card on their chests, an unprecedented innovation was created in Juche iron production even in the unfavorable production conditions of last July.

Molten iron is hot. But there is something hotter and more fervent than molten iron: it is the passionate loyalty of the Party members who uphold the Party Central Committee through increased molten iron production.

In the past, the No. 1 Furnace Workshop suffered from not properly maintaining the depth of the blast furnace's tap hole. Everyone knew well that maintaining the tap hole depth well was the key to producing more molten iron, but this problem was not easily solved.

Around that time, Comrade Kim Ju Song, who had been working as the manager of the No. 2 Blast Furnace, was assigned as the manager of the No. 1 Blast Furnace. With rich experience in furnace operation and a high level of technical skill, he sat down with technicians and skilled workers, including Chief Engineer Kye Chol Bom.

If we, who are here, cannot even guarantee one tap hole depth properly and cannot boost production, how can we proudly call ourselves Party members? Let us unravel the tangled link no matter what and capture the Juche iron production target reflected in the Party decision.

They pondered by day and continued research by night. Even after their shift ended, they postponed going home, gathered in one place, analyzed the furnace operation process, and pooled their wisdom. In the process of sharing lessons and experiences, they finally found a way to maintain the blast furnace's tap hole depth.

Thus, the Party members solved the not insignificant technological problems arising in the production process with painstaking effort and fiery passion, adopted many technological innovation proposals and creative inventions, and greatly contributed to Juche iron production.

The Party members, who always keep in mind that their loyal hearts are reflected in each batch of molten iron, renewed their high Party consciousness at every moment of life and displayed boundless devotion.

One day early this year, the chief engineer of the No. 2 Furnace Workshop could hardly tear himself away from the area around the No. 2 Blast Furnace.

(What could be the reason for the rare problems with the molten iron each time it is tapped? Could it be related to the charging hole near the inner wall of the furnace?)

He openly shared his thoughts, which he had been harboring for several months, with the workshop manager and the deputy head of the equipment department. They also expressed agreement with the chief engineer's judgment. They reflected in the Party decision the task of changing the position of the charging hole by September of this year to produce more high-quality Juche iron.

With the resolve to firmly carry out the decision they themselves raised their hands to adopt, the Party members sprang into action one and all. They highly displayed the spirit of self-reliance, completed equipment manufacturing by June, and lit the furnace fire. The results clearly proved that the Party members' brilliant idea and bold choice were correct. Thus, they were able to lay a large stepping stone, saving thousands of tons of raw materials annually, three months ahead of schedule.

Coming to work every morning, inspecting the site, finding their own tasks to do, highly displaying the spirit of collectivism, and responsibly carrying out assigned tasks—this is the consistent daily routine of the Party members who live with all their destiny placed on the blast furnace.

On one occasion, Comrade Kim Chol Ho, head of the cooling box workteam at the No. 1 Furnace Workshop, saw a worker distressed because the welding work was not done properly. He helped the worker's hands and patiently taught the secrets and methods of welding work. Thus, he enabled him to raise his welding skill level by one step in a short period.

The primary Party organization introduced Comrade Kim Chol Ho's actions and had veteran Party members each take charge of new workers to raise their technical skill levels.

For new workers, the most regrettable thing was their lack of understanding of the oxygen-heated blast furnace. On the weekly technical study day, they gathered to learn the原理 and methods of molten iron production in the oxygen-heated blast furnace and understand the technical characteristics of the equipment, but time was short.

The primary Party organization proposed conducting technical studies in various forms and methods even at the production site. Thus, utilizing various opportunities such as equipment inspection time and shift handover time, technical studies were conducted almost daily. Here, problems arising in the work process generally became the focus of technical study, and this study method was very effective in quickly raising the Party members' technical skill levels.

A atmosphere of working and studying by splitting time into minutes and seconds, a spirit of collectivism where one finds even one good thing to do for the next shift, was highly displayed at every workplace and every workteam, and it became a rightful duty for Party members to, even having started on the way home, change back into work clothes and run to the raw material yard upon hearing the news that a freight car loaded with raw materials had arrived.

The extraordinary resolve and passionate loyalty of the Party members to produce even one more ton of molten iron and surely capture the Juche iron production target are making the spirit of creation and innovation soar even more fiercely at the great metallurgical base. Today, too, watching the red molten iron of Juche pouring out, scattering hundreds of millions of sparks like a flurry of flowers, we were convinced.

Because the Korean Workers' Party members are fiercely safeguarding it, the oxygen-heated blast furnaces, the iron base in the north, will forever stand as a fortress for the resolute defense of the Party Central Committee.

Correspondent Kim Sung Pyo

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Listening to the Rustling Sound of the Green Forest

 

 

They are the forest supervisors of the Taesong-gu District Forest Management Station, looking at the tall trees and smiling with joy.

How many sweat drops did they shed unnoticed since the time they lovingly planted the young trees?

They are the forest supervisors who poured hot affection and love, worrying that the leaves might wither in the dry season and the buds might be damaged by wind and rain in the rainy season.

Their devoted sweat beads became nutrients, and before one knew it, the trees grew high enough to seem to pierce the sky.

The figures of the protagonists in the photo tell us this.

That while the joy of farmers lies in the abundant autumn, the joy of forest supervisors lies in the rustling sound of the green forest.

Text and photo by correspondent Jong Chol Hun

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Devoting Patriotic Hearts to the Two Railway Lines

- At the Pyongyang Railway University -

 

 

Photo by a correspondent

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Love for Hometown Gives Birth to Feats

There can be various sources of power that give birth to feats. It could be unparalleled bravery, soaring hatred for the enemy, or infinite sincerity towards one's assigned task.

However, the foundation of all that is love for one's hometown.

Love for one's hometown is precisely love for the motherland, and it is the greatest force that gives birth to feats.

The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un said as follows:

"We must ensure that officials, Party members, and workers love and cherish like their own flesh and blood the mountains and rivers of their hometown where they were born and grew up, their workplace, every strip of land and every tree of the motherland, and devote their entire souls for my country, my motherland."

There is no stronger force in this world than the desire to protect and glorify everything precious to oneself. Whoever one is, wherever one is, whatever work one does, if there is something one holds most dear, it would be the beloved hometown where one was born and raised.

For some, the hometown comes to them as the image of their dear parents who gave birth and raised them; for others, it comes as the homestead where they ran about and grew up in their childhood.

All these unforgettable emotions of memory throughout one's life are precisely the love for one's hometown.

When one deeply cherishes this in one's heart, there is no difficulty that cannot be overcome and no victory that cannot be achieved. We can also know this well through the figures of patriots who left their names in the history of the motherland.

The anti-Japanese revolutionary fighters who, in the bitter cold where even birch trees froze and split, fought against the armed-to-the-claws Japanese imperialist brigands, singing the "Hymn of a Company" personally composed by the Great Leader; the defenders of the motherland in the 1950s who sprang up like a mountain in the life-and-death showdown with the US imperialists, singing the song "When I return home with a shining medal on my chest, my beloved parents, wife, and children will embrace me with both arms"...

The hot love for their hometown cherished in the hearts of all of them was precisely the source of heroic feats that enabled them to utterly devote everything of themselves for the Party and the Leader, for the motherland and the people.

As such, love for one's hometown is a sublime and ardent love that can only be possessed by those who consider even a handful of soil and a single tree of the place they live as their own flesh and blood, and who regard this land as the eternal nest where their true life and happiness blossom.

With this alone, one can create something out of nothing and make the impossible possible.

Kangnam County, which is renewing its appearance daily in the era of local transformation,

was able to change its appearance into a county that strides forward on its own today because the people of the county deeply cherished love for their hometown in their hearts, even though this locality had an weak economic foundation.

Because all the people of the county, possessing the noble outlook on life that the more one unstintingly devotes one's pure conscience and sweat for one's hometown, the stronger the motherland becomes, sprang into action unanimously, they were able to complete the rural housing construction task first in the country last year, and this year, under the guidance of the Pyongyang City Party Committee, they achieved the laudable success of completing the construction of a large-capacity rice seedling greenhouse at a high qualitative level in just over 100 days.

What truth do we once again engrave in our hearts from the figures of the people of Kangnam County, who are adorning the mountains and rivers of their hometown as a socialist paradise, upholding the Party's intention?

It is that if only the feeling of love for the dear mountains and rivers of one's birthplace is hot, anyone can run at the forefront of the era as a creator of feats.

Because the soldiers of the 124th Regiment of the Korean People's Army, who are displaying the brave spirit of the revolutionary strong army at the outpost of the local industry revolution, also cherish in their hearts a hot love for their parents, wives, and children in their hometown, creations for the people's happiness are springing up like bamboo shoots after rain everywhere our motherland reaches.

Yes. Love for one's hometown gives birth to feats.

The song "Ode to the Motherland," which our people are enthusiastically singing now, also contains a passage: "Let my soul and breath, the traces of my life, dwell in the prosperity of this land."

For this verse to become not just simple song lyrics but our belief, everyone must cherish the mountains and rivers of their birthplace as dearly as their lives and pour their entire heart and soul into the prosperity of their hometown.

When everyone deeply cherishes true love for their hometown and, for the motherland and the people, for the future generations, grasps many tasks by themselves, strives with burning zeal, and fights, they can become creators of miracles and feats in today's struggle for the comprehensive development of our-style socialism.

Correspondent Jong Yong Chol

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Keeping the Vow Made on the Day of Application

Succeeding the Fighting Spirit of the Previous Generation

The feats of the trustworthy young applicants are being proudly engraved even on the rough sea with high waves. The protagonists are precisely the crew members of the "Daughter of the Korean Workers' Party Young Women Heroine" ship of the Nampo Fishery Station.

Several years have already passed since the maiden fisherwomen, including Comrade Ma Kyong Sim, applied to this fishery station. Although they are maidens in their twenties who would rather walk the cozy paths of a park than the rough sea roads, they have decided to become strong protagonists who tame the sea like the maiden fisherwomen of the Chollima era and are engraving the traces of their youth on the blue sea of the motherland.

Although going to sea in a maiden's body itself is a task beyond one's strength, they are carrying out the fishing plan ahead of others every year, and this year, too, they have sprung into action unanimously to surely complete the annual plan by the 80th anniversary of the Party founding.

Although there were many tasks that seemed impossible with their own strength, with the consciousness that the previous generation is watching over them, they broke through the difficulties and obstacles that stood in their way and have now grown into outstanding innovators of the station.

These women, who are also praised as talented ones in the station's mass cultural and artistic activities, this year too appeared in the artiste group performance held on the occasion of the poetry night, staged excellent works demonstrating the fighting spirit displayed by the previous generation of fisherwomen, received excellent evaluation in the contest, and greatly moved the audience. For them, the preparation process for the performance became a significant occasion to emulate the sublime ideological and spiritual world of the previous generation and to grow once more.

Their consistent aspiration is to live and struggle as daughters of the Workers' Party and trustworthy Korean youth, like the maiden fisherwomen of the Chollima era.

Kim Jin Hui

The Sincere Sub-workteam Leader of the Orchard

Several years have passed since Comrade Ri Jong Ran, sub-workteam leader of the Sogo Sub-workteam of the Chonna Fruit Farm under the North Phyongan Provincial Rural Economy Committee, highly upheld the Party's call to a difficult and hard sector and rushed to the farm. In those days, as a housewife, doing farm work unfamiliar to her hands was often difficult and hard, and there were times when her heart grew weak for a moment and she wanted to sit down.

But each time, she recalled the admonitions of her father and relatives who actively pushed her onto this path, gained strength from the sincere help of the Party organization and comrades who believed in her and placed her as the sub-workteam leader, and renewed her efforts.

Living as if in the orchard through the four seasons, she shed sweat of sincere labor by day to heighten her zeal, and in the evenings, she steadily conducted scientific and technological studies related to fruit tree cultivation and management, solidifying her own skills.

And based on accurately grasping the nutritional state of the fruit trees, she concretely set seasonal and process-wise farming plans and carried them out unfailingly together with the sub-workteam members, and she even ran anywhere there were saplings of excellent fruit tree varieties to obtain them.

There was reward for having striven with burning zeal, uniting minds with the sub-workteam members, as her sub-workteam overfulfilled the fruit production plan every year.

Not long ago, she set an example by procuring on her own the pesticides needed to establish measures to prevent damage from diseases and pests, and now she is also recording high achievements in weeding work.

With the heart to actively contribute to the improvement of the dietary life of the people of her hometown by producing more fruit this year, Comrade Ri Jong Ran is still unstintingly devoting her sincerity to each fruit tree.

Ri Su Yong

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The True Appearance of an Educator

The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un said as follows:

"Teachers must work conscientiously and sincerely for the future generations."

If you go to the Rajin Shipping University, there is a teacher respected by the students. He is precisely Comrade Son Chung Gil, teacher of the Electrical Equipment Course in the Ship Machinery Faculty of Rajin Shipping University.

It has only been four years since he graduated from the doctoral program and stood on the podium. Although Comrade Son Chung Gil has little teaching experience and is young, the aspiration and passion he holds in his heart as an educator are fiery hot.

He not only strives with burning zeal to raise the students' academic abilities but also warmly cares for their lives with the feelings of loving parents, so he is always affectionately called "our teacher" by his disciples.

In the notebook he carries with him, everything is specifically recorded, from the birthdays of the students in his charge to their eating habits. Always looking through it, he devoted his sincerity to preparing even one dish to the students' taste for the students living in dormitories, far from their dear homes.

On one occasion, a student was hospitalized due to a sudden illness.

At that time too, Comrade Son Chung Gil,代替 the student's parents, kept vigil by the bedside almost every night, and also provided many precious medicinal materials and nutritional foods, so that the student could quickly shake off the illness and devote himself to his studies.

Even when the students were far from the dear campus, in other regions, Comrade Son Chung Gil could not sleep for thinking of his disciples.

Last June, he even ran dozens of ri, bringing reference books that could help the students' extracurricular study and food prepared with sincerity, moving many people.

He always lived like this, placing his disciples above himself and his family. How could the students not affectionately call such a man "our teacher" and follow him?

It is not having a long teaching career that earns the respect of one's disciples. It is not that anyone who teaches knowledge to students from the podium is called "our teacher."

It is the rule that disciples respect and follow from the heart educators like Comrade Son Chung Gil, who give affection before knowledge and devote their sincerity to raising them correctly and placing them as pillars of the motherland.

Correspondent

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Decades with the Power Station

Among the sincere workers of this land who firmly safeguard their workplaces with the consciousness that their workplace is a revolutionary post entrusted by the Party is also Comrade Ri Yong Gil, a worker at the Youth Coal Mine Power Station.

When he started work as a generator operator decades ago, he strove hard, saving time to become proficient with the unfamiliar equipment.

Growing into an indispensable pillar of the power station in the process of continuously raising his technical skill level, he actively plunged into technological innovation work, presented several valuable creative inventions, and contributed to electric power production.

Not only that, he unstintingly passed on the skills he had acquired to more than ten generator operators, nurturing all of them into high-grade skilled workers.

Even now, Comrade Ri Yong Gil is unstintingly devoting his wisdom and passion to increase electric power production, with a fiery consciousness to actively contribute to the region's economic development by producing even one more watt of electricity.

Workers-Peasant Correspondent Kim Yong Sik

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Social Security Delegation Departs for Russia

A social security delegation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, with Comrade Pang Tu Sop, Minister of Social Security, as its head, departed Pyongyang on the 1st to visit Russia.

Comrade Kim Song Nam, Vice-Minister of Social Security, and Vladimir Topekha, Chargé d'Affaires ad interim of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in our country, saw them off at Pyongyang International Airport.

[Korean Central News Agency]