It was late September 1947.
President Kim Il Sung visited the then Songjin Steel Plant on the east coast of the northern part of Korea.
While touring the plant, he suggested going to the electric arc furnace workshop. The accompanying officials were embarrassed and tried repeatedly to dissuade him from doing so, explaining that it was a harmful and dangerous place.
Kim Il Sung headed for the workshop, saying: Don’t worry. That is the place our workers are working, so why shouldn’t I go? The workshop occupies the first and important process of steel production. Now let’s go.
Before the country’s liberation, the workshop was a deadly place and slaughterhouse which took a heavy toll of lives every day.
However, after liberation the factory took measures to eliminate dangerous objects and rigidly enforced safety regulations, thus decreasing the factors that might incur accidents.
Kim Il Sung looked around the workshop and slowly moved his steps towards the furnace, before saying: No matter how precious steel is, we should not allow the workers to work any longer under this condition. You might as well produce less steel, so you must blow up this workshop.
At this the officials and workers were stuck with amazement, for they were more keenly aware of the importance of steel production in the struggle to build a new country than anyone else.
After winding up his tour of the shop floor, the President asked the officials once again to destroy the furnace without fail and then left the plant.
However, the workers did not stop running the furnace with a burning desire to carry out the President’s nation-building line.
Informed of this fact, the President urged the officials to blow up the workshop, explaining that it was a damnable place full of grudges of the workers.
