Towards a Higher Aim
After being briefed in front of a panoramic map on the situation of the goat farm, such as its construction, total area, branches and number of goats, General Kim Jong Il said in a low, regretful voice that it should have more than 10 000 goats to be called a large farm.
This remark came as a surprise to the officials of the county, who thought that theirs was a large livestock farm–over 20 branches with thousands of goats, milk-processing facility, school, shop and other public and welfare service facilities, plants for producing such dairy products as cheese, curd and yogurt, and grazing course with a total length of 40km.
They had been proud of this farm, which was much larger in the number of goats and output of milk than those in other localities. Furthermore, it was a fruition of their belt-tightening efforts during the Arduous March and forced march.
But Kim Jong Il was not happy with the size of the goat farm.
He was guided to a milk-processing room in Tongbong, a branch farm, which was redolent of milk and there were heaps of cheese, curd and yogurt.
He asked, “To whom do you supply the dairy products?”
An official answered that they were supplied to the residents in the township, children at nurseries and kindergartens in particular. He noted that there were piles of cheese in the cellar, adding that people liked curd but not cheese because of its odour.
Kim Jong Il laughed and said: People eat cheese enjoying its aroma. It is not cheese that is not aromatic. They like cheese in Europe but not yet in our country. It is natural that those in rural communities should not be willing to buy it, as city dwellers dislike it. …
The officials in his company joined in the laughter.
Kim Jong Il went on, “It is wrong for the officials in Hamju County to supply the dairy products from the goat farm on the Phyongphung Tableland only to the children at nurseries and kindergartens in the county and other residents in the township. They should bolster up the goat farm so that its products could be provided to all people in the county.”
Now the officials could understand why he was so sorry to hear the number of goats in the farm.
They contented themselves with supplying the dairy products to the residents in the township, but he was concerned about those in other parts of the county.
