The first leg of his guidance was the Kim Chaek Iron and Steel Complex dynamically advancing in the van of the drive for a revolutionary surge.

He went round the Juche iron-based blast furnace shop, steel shop No. 1, the hot-rolling shop and other production processes for hours to acquaint himself in detail with the technological updating and production there. He expressed great satisfaction over the fact that the complex completed the Juche iron production system and is keeping the production going at a high rate.

It is a great success that the officials, workers and technicians of the complex completed the Juche iron-based iron production method by their own efforts and with their own technology, he said, highly appreciating their feats.

Noting that the heroic workers of the complex brilliantly decorated this significant year by building a great structure in the era of Songun, he said that the laudable exploits performed by them, the devoted workers capable of flattening even a high mountain at one go in response to the decision and instruction of the party, will be recorded with brilliance in a page of the history of building a thriving nation.

The new iron production method based on Juche iron established by the workers of the complex represents a miracle which could be worked by the genuine patriots who remain true to the party with unblemished conscience and sense of obligation, firmly equipped with the great Juche idea, he noted.

He met with those officials and technicians who performed exploits in designing and building the above-said blast furnace and highly estimated their feats.

The successful realization of the Juche-orientation of metal industry through painstaking efforts for several decades marks a particularly great event as it provided a new landmark in the history of the nation's industry, he noted, stressing that the increase of self-reliance in the important field of economy made it possible to dynamically develop the independent economy with locally available natural resources and its own technology under any circumstances.

Noting that none-use of cokes and coal gasification, the processes fully depending on raw materials and resources found in abundance in the country, are the principles to govern the nation's economic development which do not allow any slightest compromise, he stressed the need to regard this line whose validity and vitality have been proved in the course of arduous struggles as an invariable lifeline in economic construction.

The party members and other working people of the complex opened up a bright prospect for keeping the iron production going at a high rate by overcoming all difficulties by their own efforts in the revolutionary spirit of self-reliance which President Kim Il Sung instilled into them, he said, adding that this signal success goes to clearly prove once again that self-reliance, the traditional slogan of the WPK, is the key bringing about ceaseless surges in socialist construction and serves as an invincible treasured sword as it always leads the Korean nation along the road of victory and prosperity.

He extended thanks to the party committee of the complex for powerfully encouraging the producers in their drive for building a great prosperous and powerful nation.

After hearing a report about the women at the complex who made a great contribution to the drive for completing the Juche iron production system, he highly estimated their laudable deed.

The most important tasks facing the complex are to keep the production of pig iron and steel going at a high rate in reliance upon the strong Juche iron production base and decisively boost the production of rolled steel, in particular, he noted.

In order to put the complex on a modern and CNC basis at the highest level in a short span of time, it is necessary to enlist all forces of the nation's powerful technological groups, he said, indicating the orientation and ways to do so. He showed such loving care as unraveling problems on the spot.

He expressed great expectation and belief that the heroic workers of the complex would successfully carry out the tasks given by the Party.

The next leg of his guidance was the Ranam Coal Mining Machine Complex.

He went round the machine assembling shop and various other places of the complex to learn about the production there.

He highly appreciated the achievements made by the officials, workers and technicians of the complex, expressing great satisfaction over the fact that they successfully settled difficult technological issues by themselves and satisfactorily ensured the production of major custom-built equipment through intensified creative cooperation and mass technological innovation movement.

He set forth tasks facing the complex.

Underscoring the need for the complex to dash ahead for higher scientific and technological eminence on the basis of the successes achieved in the drive to put the production on a CNC basis, he set the goal to be attained in the near future and specified the orientation and ways to do so.

While giving field guidance to north Hamgyong province, he acquainted himself with its overall work and once again indicated the way to be followed by it.

He highly estimated the revolutionary work style of the party organizations, administrative and economic bodies and leading officials of the province, saying that they have solved important issues of national significance by actively arousing the masses' creative ingenuity, concentrating efforts on the major front and carrying out their tasks one by one.

He called on North Hamgyong Province to take the lead in the sacred drive for opening the gate to a thriving nation.

He was accompanied by O Su Yong, chief secretary of the North Hamgyong Provincial Committee of the WPK, Kim Ki Nam and Hong Sok Hyong, members of the Political Bureau and secretaries of the C.C., the WPK, Kim Kyong Hui, member of the Political Bureau and department director of the C.C., the WPK, Jang Song Thaek, alternate member of the Political Bureau of the C.C., the WPK and vice-chairman of the NDC, Pak To Chun, alternate member of the Political Bureau and secretary of the C.C., the WPK, and Hyon Chol Hae and Ri Myong Su, department directors of the NDC.