North Korea Leadership Watch

Research and Analysis on the DPRK Leadership

KJU and RSJ Visits Food and Bag Factories in Wo’nsan

Kim Jong Un and Ri Sol Ju look around a product showroom at Songdowon Foodstuff Factory in Kangwo’n (Photo: Rodong Sinmun)

KJU’s last observed appearance was his inspection of Kangwo’n Provincial Tree Nursery; RSJ’s last observed appearance was in Sinu’iju

Kim Jong Un (Kim Cho’ng-u’n) and Ri Sol Ju (Ri So’l-chu) conducted on the spot guidance of the Songdowon General Foodstuffs Factory and Wo’nsan Disabled Soldiers’ Bag Factory.  Also in attendance were Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) Economic Affairs Department Director Han Kwang Sang (Han Kwang-sang) and WPK Organization Guidance Department Deputy Director and Personal Secretariat deputy chief Jo Yong Won (Cho Yo’ng-wo’n).

Kim Jong Un examines a production process at Songdown Foodstuffs Factory. Also in attendance, at left, is Han Kwang Sang (Photo: KCNA/Rodong Sinmun).

Kim Jong Un talks with an employee at Songdowon Foodstuff Factory (Photo: Rodong Sinmun/KCNA).

After visiting a room dedicated to the factory’s institutional history, Kim Jong Un and Madame Ri toured various production areas of the factory.  As he observed “various foodstuff being churned out at the worksites with food processing facilities in rows,” he noted “with high appreciation that the factory works hard to modernize production processes and improve the quality of products and thus has over-fulfilled its plan every year while mass producing the products that the people highly demand and like.”

Kim Jong Un is briefed about production at Songdowon Foodstuff Factory. Also in attendance are Ri Sol Ju (L), Pak Jong Nam (2nd L) and Jo Yong Won (R) (Photo: KCNA/Rodong Sinmun).

Kim Jong Un examines products of Songdowon Foodstuffs Factory (Photo: Rodong Sinmun).

He said that “recently the level of product packaging and trademark design has improved remarkably in the field of the foodstuffs industry…the varieties of foodstuffs being produced by the factory are numerous and diverse and the packaging is diverse and its level very high.  It is very good that the products of the factory are supplied to the whole country as well as to the province the foodstuffs were appreciated as being not inferior to the products of central foodstuff factories.”

Kim Jong Un examines food of the Songdowon Foodstuff Factory (Photo: KCNA/Rodong Sinmun).

Jong Un called for “conducting active competition among foodstuff factories across the country and thus bringing about a surge in production and expanding successes through a drive in which one learns from others and overtakes others.”  He stressed the “need to ensure the strict and correct inspection of quality and control over foodstuffs of different storage conditions in keeping with the increasing varieties of products.”  He said that “in particular, it is necessary to strengthen the product inspection system for thoroughly guaranteeing the quality and hygiene security of the foodstuffs and medicine which have a direct impact on the health and life of the people and to improve and modernize the inspection method and means.”

Kim Jong Un talks with party officials during his guidance tour of the Songdowon Foodstuff Factory (Photo: Rodong Sinmun).

He said that “the factory should push ahead with the modernization drive for putting more perfectly all production processes on an automated, unmanned and germ-free basis, holding aloft the banner of self-reliance and relying on our own technical force, materials and equipment and thus turn itself into a production base with Chuch’e character which is operated with locally available raw materials” and stressed the “need to set a correct long-term goal and make tenacious efforts to attain it.”

Kim Jong Un is briefed about beverage production at Songdown Foodstuff Factory (Photo: KCNA).

Kim Jong Un speaks with managers of Songdowon Foodstuffs Factory (Photo: Rodong Sinmun).

Jong Un said that the “sci-tech learning space should be effectively operated to prepare the employees to be knowledge-based working people so that they do their share in the technical updating of production processes and modernization of equipment and to make sure that new ideas of technical innovations and original concepts are produced among the producer masses.”

Kim Jong Un talks with managers at Songdowon Foodstuff Factory (Photo: KCNA/Rodong Sinmun).

View of products of the Songdowon Foodstuff Factory (Photo: KCNA).

Kim Jong Un and Ri Sol Ju had a commemorative photo session with the factory’s officials and workers, after he voiced his “expectation and conviction that would conduct the management activities well and produce more quality foodstuffs and thus more fully demonstrate the honor of being a factory loved by the people and factory serving them.”

Kim Jong Un talks about school satchels during a guidance tour of the Wo’nsan Disabled Soldiers Bag Factory. Ri Sol Ju is standing behind KJU (Photo: Rodong Sinmun).

Jong Un and Madame Ri also toured Wo’nsan Disabled Soldiers’ Bag Factory.  They were joined by Kangwo’n WPK Provincial Committee Chairman Pak Jong Nam (Pak Cho’ng-nam).  He “learned in detail about the production of schoolbags.”

Kim Jong Un is briefed about production at the bag factory (Photo: Rodong Sinmun/KCNA).

He said “now it is necessary to direct efforts to raising the quality of schoolbags as material and technical foundations have been satisfactorily laid for producing hundreds of thousands of schoolbags in each province.”  Jong Un stressed the “need for the bag factories in provinces to conduct proper quality control over products, raise demand and thus put the schoolbags supplied to children and students of the whole country on the same qualitative level.”

Kim Jong Un observes bag production at the Wo’nsan Disabled Soldiers Bag Factory (Photo: KCNA/Rodong Sinmun).

Kim Jong Un “underlined the need for central organs to work out a plan for the responsible supply of raw and other materials for the production of bags including canvas, zipper, tape, synthetic leather, metal fixtures and plastic processed goods to make sure that the production is put on a regular basis at bag factories built in provinces.”

Kim Jong Un is briefed about materials processing and preparation at the bag factory (Photo: KCNA/Rodong Sinmun/KNS).

He said that “it is the intention of our Party to provide our children and students with quality notebooks, schoolbags, school things and school uniforms made in the country so as to make them cherish patriotism of tasking their own things dear to them and loving them since their childhood” and he repeatedly asked “the officials and employees of the bag factories across the country to work heart and soul with devotion to ensure the quality of bags just as they would make bags for their own children.”

View of the factory floor at Wo’nsan Disabled Soldiers Bag Factory (Photo: KCNA).

Backpacks of the Wo’nsan Disabled Soldiers Bag Factory (Photo: KCNA).

Jong Un also stressed the “need for the employees to put precedence to the work of enhancing the technical skill, strictly abide by the requirements of technical regulations in every production process, conduct technical exchanges among bag factories, learn with each other and brainstorm ideas in effecting a surge and innovation to improve the quality of bags.”

Products of the bag factory (Photo: KCNA).

Kim Jong Un is briefed about products of the bag factory (Photo: KCNA).

Kim Jong Un speaks to cadres about a child’s backpack (Photo: Rodong Sinmun/KCNA).

Commemorative photo of Kim Jong Un and Ri Sol Ju with officials and employees of the bag factory(Photo: Rodong Sinmun).

Kim Jong Un and Ri Sol Ju attended a commemorative photo-op with the factory’s managers and employees, “highly appreciating their strenuous efforts to put the production going on at a higher rate after building the factory to be proud with the own efforts, technology and materials in a short time.”  He stressed the “importance to value, respect and take good care of disables soldiers” and asked the “provincial party committee to help the factory with deep care so they can devote their sweats of sincere labor in their worthwhile and honorable work for the future generations and thus continue to keep the revolution flourishing.”

Information

This article was written on 27 Jul 2018, and is filled under basic party organizations, Central Committee, Central Military Committee, county/city party organizations, critical infrastructure, DPRK Cabinet, Economic Complexes, Education Commission, Events Management Section, Executive Policy Bureau, Finance and Accounting, Financial Planning Department, Five Year Economic Plan and Development Strategy (2016), food production, General Affairs, gsd, Guard Command, Han Kwang Sang, ideological slogans, Information Section, Jo Yong Won, Kangwo'n Provincial KWP Committee, Kangwo'n Provincial People's Committee, Kim Chong-un inspections, Kim Family, Kim Jong Un Visits, Kim Jong-un, KJI Personal Secretariat, Korean People's Internal Security Forces, Korean People's Army (KPA), Korean Workers' Party (KWP), KPA supernumerary organizations, kpif, Light Industry Department, Local Party Affairs, Main Office of Adjutants (Central Party Office #6), Ministry of Common Education, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Food and Procurement, Ministry of Foodstuffs and Daily Necessities, Ministry of Light Industry, ministry of people's security, Ministry of State Security, North Korean press, Organization and Guidance Department, Pak Jong Nam (Kangwon WPK PC), Political Bureau, primary party committees, Provincial Party Committees, Provincial Party System, Provinicial People's Committee, Ri Sol Ju (Kim Jong Un's wife), Secretariat, Spirit of Kangwon Province movement, State Affairs Commission, State Planning Commission (SPC), State Security Department, Workers' and Social Organizations, WPK Economic Affairs Dept.

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