After being briefed on the modernization of the plant, he looked round the assembling shop and other processes and newly manufactured machine tools. Then he acquainted himself in detail with the progress made in the technological updating and modernization and production there.

He learned in detail about the performance, mechanism and operational principles of the newly invented and manufactured machine tools. He highly praised the feats performed by the workers of the plant, expressing great satisfaction over the fact that they have produced many efficient machine tools by displaying all their wisdom and enthusiasm as required by the new century.

The appearance of the plant has undergone a radical change in a few years thanks to the devoted efforts of its officials, workers and technicians, he said, adding that the Kusong Machine-Tool Plant where all its production processes have been put on a high modern and scientific basis and cultured practices are on a high level in production and life is a model plant in the era of Songun where the WPK's ideal has come true.

He noted that if persevering efforts are made with priority given to the scientific and technological development just as the workers of the above-said plant did, it is possible to successfully carry out the work to put the national economy on a Juche-oriented, modern and scientific basis in a brief span of time and accomplish the cause of building a thriving nation earlier than scheduled, calling upon all sectors and units to follow their example.

Saying that the plant has an important role to play for the development of the nation's economy, he set forth important tasks to be fulfilled by the plant.

The demand for machine tools is greater than ever today when a dynamic drive for building a great prosperous and powerful nation is under way, he said, underlining the need for the plant to boost the production and supply of modern machine tools needed by different fields of the national economy.

Underlining the need to steadily improve the quality of products as machine tools are important means which constitute the backbone of the machine-building revolution, he stressed that to this end it is necessary to continue focusing efforts on producing high-speed, precision and modern machine tools.

He expressed expectation and conviction that the workers of the plant would set a clear long-term goal to bring the machine-building industry to a higher stage and wage a strenuous drive to hit the goal and thus creditably perform their honorable mission as pioneers and vanguard in the scientific and technological development.

He was accompanied by Kim Phyong Hae, chief secretary of the North Phyongan Provincial Committee of the WPK, Kim Ki Nam, secretary of the Central Committee of the WPK, and Pak Nam Gi and Jang Song Thaek, department directors of the C.C., the WPK.