They could not forget the undying feats the Chairman performed in the building of a powerful nation by surmounting in the van the severe trials and difficulties facing the Korean revolution in the latter half of the 1990s.

At that time, he let Jagang Province stand in the van of the struggle for leading the Arduous March to victory.

In January Juche 87 (1998), he went round nearly 20 units in the province for some days in defiance of severe cold, traveling the distance of more than 2,400 kilometers. In those days, he named the spirit displayed by its inhabitants "Kanggye Spirit", seeing to it that the whole country followed this example.

Later, this spirit of the times served as a motive force to turn the Arduous March into a march for building a land of bliss and the province could lead the country in all aspects.

The torch of Songgang was kindled in 1998 when the Chairman visited the Songjin Steel Complex. At that time, he wanted the working class of the complex to stand in the van of a new revolutionary great upsurge by riding Chollima once again. To this end, he kindled the torch of Songgang.

Greatly encouraged by his trust, the workers of the complex turned out as one to produce the amount of steel equivalent to the previous year's output in a few months. Following them, all other workers in the fields of metal industry, coal industry, electric power industry and transport made remarkable successes to lay a firm foundation for the building of a thriving nation.

In October 2011, the Chairman visited a factory which was turned into a standard one of the new century. Seeing CNC machine tools of various kinds mass-produced at the factory, he said that it is the "industrial revolution in the new century".

In the latter half of the 1990s when the country underwent difficulties, Chairman Kim Jong Il took a measure to invest much funds in the realization of CNC for the development of the machine-building industry. His great and courageous decision brought about the industrial revolution in the new century.