The credit for its birth goes to President Kim Il Sung and Chairman Kim Jong Il.

The President initiated the construction of the barrage and personally appointed the site for it, touring the waters off Nampho City by ship on May 22, Juche 70 (1981). He also indicated the direction and way for construction of its lock bay and gave instructions for manpower and mechanical means to be mobilized in the construction.

The Chairman came to the barrage under construction several times, guiding the construction to be completed on the highest level in a short period.

Thanks to their energetic guidance, this vast project could be completed in a matter of five years with domestic design, technology and efforts.

The West Sea Barrage was inaugurated with due ceremony in June 1986.

With the completion of the barrage, a great change has been made in the development of the national economy and the improvement of the people's livelihood.

A large artificial lake storing billions of cubic meters of water appeared to supply irrigation water, industrial water and drinking water in the lower reaches of the Taedong River. And railway and roadway were laid on the dam to create a new traffic net.

The cargo passing capacity of its three lock chambers is tens of millions of tons in a year.

The barrage has also played a significant role in protecting the Taedong River basin from flooding. In the period from June 23 to 25 this year when much rainfall was witnessed, water of 460 million cubic meters flew to the sea through the barrage.

Touring the barrage, foreigners expressed high admiration at the Korean people's unfathomable strength and the DPRK's spirit of self-reliance and economical potentials.

The West Sea Barrage is a great outcome of the revolutionary spirit of self-reliance, and it is pride and wealth of eternal value for the DPRK people.