One day in December 2000, Kim Jong Il was inspecting a company of the Korean People’s Army stationed at the remotest point on the front line. When they heard of his arrival, the soldiers could not believe their ears, because 300 mm of snow had fallen in the area the previous night, blocking all the roads to the post.
Kim Jong Il, as he looked around at the cheering soldiers, said that he had come to see them, as they were defending a frontline post.
The soldiers wondered how he had managed to get there along the rugged, snow-covered mountain roads. They only found out after he had left, when they heard the following story from an official.
Before his visit, Kim Jong Il had inspected a power station built by the company. It was before dawn, and the world was covered with snow.
The officers of the unit saw a car approaching, emitting two beams of light. Apart from the windscreen, which had been cleaned, it was just a heap of snow. To their surprise, Kim Jong Il alighted from the car.
The official also told the soldiers what Kim Jong Il had said:
“I am very busy at the end of the year. I went to bed at one o’clock, but got up at four and set out for this post thinking the soldiers on the front line must be longing to see me. Although it was dark outside and the road was covered with snow, I was happy at the thought of seeing the soldiers at the outpost.”
