The Duty of Officials

Chairman Kim Jong Il said:

"Mingling with the masses is an important requirement for officials in serving the people. They should make it their habit, an everyday occurrence, to go among the people. Only by doing so can they perform their duty as servants of the people."

Chairman Kim Jong Il warmly led officials to look into the minds of the popular masses first and work accordingly on the ceaseless field guidance.

In January of the year, he inquired of an official the plan for political affairs to be carried out at a steel plant.

After listening to the official, he said that it was well-prepared, adding that there was one missing.

The official couldn't help being embarrassed. In view of the importance of iron and steel production in the economic construction of the new year, the plan was drawn up with special care and completed through several reviews.

The official, who prided himself on the good plan, recalled the contents of the plan one by one and thought over what was wrong. But he could not find what Chairman Kim Jong Il meant.

He told the official about the need to visit the steel plant hospital without fail, mentioning that the patients would suffer from distress of being in hospital when the plant was seething.

Just at that time, the official was struck by great shock and emotion.

He only thought of the workers working at the production site because of the increased production of iron and steel. He paid no attention to the feeling of those who were not taking part in the first march of the new year.

He continued to mention that they felt guilty about lying idle, worried about their illness and missed people, so it was said that a patient was filled with worries. He warmly said that if he visited the patients, their families and officials of the plant would be grateful.

Listening to Chairman Kim Jong Il, he felt guilty and was full of remorse for failing to uphold his noble intention, who said that priority should be given to working with people-a political affair in the revolution and construction and their minds should be taken care of first at anytime and anywhere.

His instruction was precious one that officials should keep in mind all their lives and regard as a firm guideline in their work and life.

Like this, Chairman Kim Jong Il was a benevolent teacher who led officials to give precedence to a political affair-working with people in the revolution and construction and looking into the minds of people at anytime and anywhere during the whole period of his revolutionary leadership.