Fatherly Love to the Ocean Fishing Fleet

The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un said:

"Comrade Kim Il Sung's was a noble life of a people's leader, who regarded ‘The people are my God' as his motto, applied it to his ideas and leadership and turned it into reality."

The people-loving history of President Kim Il Sung, who walked on a long and rugged road for the happiness of the people all his life, also tells the story of his warm love for the ocean fishing fleet.

On June 4, Juche 57(1968), President Kim Il Sung was giving a spot guidance to the city of Sinpho, when he got the report that the ocean fishing fleet came back. He immediately visited the port of the Sinpho Fishery Station (then) where the ships were anchored.

President Kim Il Sung shook hands with the fishermen who rushed and greeted him, asked about their living conditions and fishing circumstances and if they had any trouble.

They answered there weren't any problems. But saying that there must be something difficult, the President asked if they felt inconvenience for being short of mother ships.

In fact, although the history of their ocean exploration was not long, they had no difficulty in fishing and fish processing. They even enjoyed cultured rest in the sea because they had received a large processing mother ship and refrigerator ships sent by him like Paektusan.

Nevertheless, when he met them, he was first worried about a mother ship.

He asked them how long they could have a rest after they returned.

Hearing their answer that they were going to leave soon after getting prepared for a few days, he expressed his concern and told the officials that they should pay close attention to the life of fishermen working in the heavy seas, adding that larger ships should be built for fishermen, more chief engineers be trained and fishermen work a shift to have a month off after two-month fishing in the ocean.

Saying that he was worried about illness during the work in the ocean, he repeatedly emphasized that more competent doctors should be sent to the ship and repairing ships and better nets be provided.

That day, President Kim Il Sung said that there would be a lot of difficulties, and that he would hold a conference in the evening and discuss it again. He gave on-the-spot guidance to various factories and enterprises in the city of Sinpho including the Fisheries Station and guided the conference on the fishing industry even until late at night.

At the conference, he taught in detail the directions and ways for developing the fishing industry and asked again what the difficulties were in catching fish in the open sea.

One of the fishermen answered that there was a shortage of water in the sea. President Kim Il Sung said that a long-time work in the sea would lead to the water shortage. He continued that 1 000-ton ships should be built to provide fishermen with more water and enough rest and that preliminary discussions with fishermen be made during the ship-building to make a good design for the interior structure and style of the ships.

Still being concerned, he said that one ship should be allotted to carrying water even without catching fish and follow the other working ships and that he would look at the design of the ship to be built.

Toward the end of the conference, he mentioned again about the living conditions of the fishermen. He warmly said that the city of Sinpho and other pelagic fishery bases would set a residential district only for fishermen working in the ocean and build good apartment buildings, and that a lot of trees would be planted so fishermen and their families would live with a good view and in fresh air.

President Kim Il Sung, who guided the conference late at night, came to the end of the pier first thing in the morning, looked around the city of Sinpho and every ship which had returned from pelagic fishing work, instructing in detail for the development of the residential district and personally appointing the site for it.

Even after he left from his on-the-spot guidance, he never forgot about the pelagic fishermen. He took measures for the schedule of their family recreation so that they could relax enough with their family and inspected the design of a boat to be built. He made sure that the boat would be equipped with electric heating and cooking systems as well as a washer-dryer and ironing room so that they could live as comfortable a life as they did in their home.

Indeed, there are many countries and many nations in the world, but no leader is greater and more benevolent than President Kim Il Sung, who devoted himself even to ordinary fishermen.

Today, under the wise guidance of the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un, who inherited the noble spirit of President Kim Il Sung who believed in the people as in Heaven, the fishermen of the DPRK are bringing about a good haul of fish in their fishing grounds without envying anything and with singing the song of big hauls in the sea.