The first leg of his guidance was the Amnokgang Gauge and Instrument General Factory.

After being briefed on the factory before a huge map showing its panoramic view, Kim Jong Il, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK, went round several places including processing shop and materials shop to learn in detail about its technical equipment and production.

Watching CNC-based equipment standing in rows in every work site and products being churned out in an endless stream, he was greatly satisfied to learn that the workers of the factory are mass-producing varieties of quality gauges and instruments needed by different fields of the national economy.

He said that the officials, workers and technicians of the factory waged a dynamic mass technical innovation movement true to the WPK's idea of attaching importance to science and technology, thus updating the factory as required by the IT age.

He went round various products displayed at the exhibition hall of August 3 consumer goods. He was very pleased that the factory is producing lots of quality consumer goods for improving people's standard of living by making an effective use of by-products.

He then looked round cultural and welfare establishments including the hall of culture, the canteen and the bathhouse built by the factory in a peculiar manner to learn about its workers' cultural life and supply service.

He set forth important tasks before the factory.

The next leg of his guidance was the Suphung Bearing Factory.

After being briefed on the modernization of the factory, he made the rounds of production processes for hours to learn in detail about its technological updating and production there.

Seeing modern equipment and products, he was greatly satisfied to learn that the workers of the factory developed more than 50 kinds of bearings and rapidly increased their production by successfully putting the production processes on a modern and scientific basis.

He examined the technologically improved machines and equipment and varieties of products ensuring high precision. He said that the workers of the factory solved many scientific and technological problems on their own by pooling their creative ingenuity and boosting cooperation, thereby bringing about a signal boost in production.

He underscored the need to channel primary efforts into the introduction of the latest technology and the technological innovation drive, noting that those who have a perfect mastery of science and technology can become conquerors in the future.

He called for pushing ahead with the updating of the equipment and the factory in a bold and ambitious manner to steadily boost production with locally available raw materials and their own work force under any circumstances. He indicated the orientation and ways to do so and proposed tasks before the factory.

The last leg of his guidance was the Amnokgang Daily Necessities Factory.

He looked round several places of the factory including an injection-molding shop to learn in detail about its technological updating and production there.

It is a revolution that the factory saved equipment enough for furnishing a shop, while securing huge reserve manpower by putting equipment including injection-molding machines on a CNC basis, he noted, extending thanks to its officials, workers and technicians for having achieved great successes in the efforts to push back the frontiers of latest science and technology.

He praised the factory for successfully manufacturing an ultra-modern uppers injection-moulding machine badly needed for keeping production going at a high rate at the Hyesan Footwear Factory.

The factory has an important role to play in developing the nation's daily necessities industry and improving the people's standard of living, he said, advancing the important tasks to be carried out by the factory.

He set the target for putting major production processes on a CNC basis to be attained by the factory till April 2012, the centenary of birth of President Kim Il Sung, and specified the orientation and ways for hitting it. He showed such great benevolence as unraveling the problems raised.

He was accompanied by Kim Jong Un, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of the WPK, Kim Kyong Hui, member of the Political Bureau and department director of the C.C., the WPK, Pak To Chun and Kim Phyong Hae, alternate members of the Political Bureau and secretaries of the C.C., the WPK, and Ju Kyu Chang, alternate member of the Political Bureau and department director of the C.C., the WPK.