Chairman Kim Jong Il visited the State Academy of Sciences on January 11, 1999.
On the way to the main building of an electronic engineering research institute, he asked an official, “What family are the computers here?”
The official wavered over how to answer this question, thinking that he had to explain a long time by comparing different families of computers.
Finally, he answered that they were SUN computers.
Kim Jong Il exclaimed, “Ah, they are SUN computers. I see.”
Arriving at a lab, he watched the computers carefully and halted in front of a computer with a set of design applications.
He asked the operator, “What is the program capacity of this computer?”
Given the answer, he said, “The program capacity is four gigabyte, so the free space will be the remaining four gigabyte.”
He moved to another desk where a young scientist was sitting at a computer. He was very glad to learn that the scientist had interpreted a high-level program of a developed nation and adapted it to his research goals.
He told the young man, “Let me see the program on the computer screen.”
The latter hesitated in confusion and Kim Jong Il told him to relax and open the menu.
Now the young man was relieved a little and moved the cursor to open the menu.
Kim Jong Il said:
“Find the license.”
…
“And then the source.”
…
The scientist operated the computer as he asked.
Kim Jong Il bent over and studied the screen. He told the man to split the window so as to display the source program and the interpreted program simultaneously.
The operator displayed the programs as he wanted.
Scanning through the lines, he said, “Scroll.”
The operator scrolled down to open another window.
After a long while, Kim Jong Il said giving the young man a pat on the back, “You have done a great thing.”
It took long hours for him to make the rounds of several research institutes and laboratories.
As he was getting into his car for departure, a senior official of the academy called him.
Still holding the door-handle, he turned back. He smiled at the murmuring official, as if to urge him to speak out.
The official screwed up his courage and asked him, “Well, don’t you mind if we regard this visit to our academy as the first leg of your field guidance trip for the New Year?”
“I don’t mind, but why do you ask me that?”
“We are going to demonstrate to the world that you visited our academy as the first leg of your field guidance trip for this year.”
Kim Jong Il said with a laugh:
“You say you are going to demonstrate to the world that I visited your academy as the first leg of my field guidance trip for the New Year; you may do as you want.”
