The first leg of his guidance was the newly-built Jangjasan Combined Foodstuff Factory.

After being briefed on the factory before a huge map showing its panoramic view, Kim Jong Il went round its production processes for hours to learn in detail about the construction, technological updating and production there.

Learning in detail about processed wild fruits and wild vegetables including wild pear juice and varieties of other foodstuff including sliced vegetables preserved in soy sauce, noodle, rice cake, sweets and cake, and even tasting them, he was very pleased that now it has become possible to supply the people with much more delicious and nutritious foodstuff.

He extended thanks to officials, workers and technicians of relevant factories and enterprises who provided high-level food processing equipment by devoting their wisdom and energy.

He advanced important tasks which would serve as guidelines for managing and operating the factory.

Stressing the need for the officials, workers and technicians of the factory to boost production in the spirit of warm love for the people, he called for producing more processed foodstuff including delicious and nutritious subsidiary food so as to successfully carry out the instructions of President Kim Il Sung on completely freeing women from household chores.

The next leg of his guidance was the Kanggye Essential Foodstuff Factory.

Making the rounds of different production processes of the factory, he got familiar in detail with its technical updating and production.

Watching varieties of essential foodstuff meeting popular taste being churned out in an endless stream, he highly praised officials, workers and technicians for having kept production going at a high rate after placing all the production processes on a scientific and technological basis by pooling their wisdom and efforts.

Underscoring the need to make essential foodstuff tasty as it is consumed by everybody, he urged the factory to intensify research into this field in a bid to ensure unique technical indices and put production process on a high level of scientific basis.

The third leg of his guidance was the Kanggye Koryo Medicine Factory.

He went round the interior and exterior of the factory to acquaint himself in detail with the production there.

He expressed great satisfaction over the fact that the factory has been kept neat and tidy in terms of sanitation and cultural practice as a pharmaceutical factory and that it is producing a lot of Koryo medicine of high efficacy with various medical plants found in abundance in local areas.

Our ancestors lived in good health, having illness cured by use of Koryo medicine alone for thousands of years, he said, stressing that it is of weighty importance for promoting the people's health to develop traditional Koryo medicine.

He noted that in order to increase the effect of treatment by Koryo medicine it is necessary to decisively put the production of Koryo medicine on a scientific and industrial basis so that herbal extracts may be produced.

The people in the province who grew remarkably stronger through the "Arduous March," the forced march, are now dashing ahead like the wind towards the eminence of a thriving nation after turning their cities, villages and factories and worksites into a land of bliss by themselves, he noted, highly appreciating the patriotic enthusiasm of the officials, party members and other working people in the province, the courageous pace-setters in the era of Songun.

World-startling miracles and feats are being reported everyday from the province where the march of the revolution is ringing loud, he said, adding that this stirring reality is the brilliant fruition of the Kanggye spirit and a manifestation of the inexhaustible mental power of the Korean people.

He expressed great expectation and conviction that the working people in Kanggye and other parts of the province would continue to creditably play the role of a pioneer in the dynamic drive for building a thriving nation.

He was accompanied by Pak To Chun, chief secretary of the Jagang Provincial Committee of the WPK, Jang Song Thaek, vice-chairman of the NDC of the DPRK and department director of the WPK Central Committee, and Kim Kyong Hui, Hong Sok Hyong and Thae Jong Su, department directors of the WPK Central Committee.