The respected Comrade
"Comrade
The revolutionary anecdote of President
On January 18, Juche 52 (1963), President
Tang Hyon-ri, Sohung County, was such a remote mountain village of difficult access only to be reached by turning a mountain bend, passing the valley and still going in dozens of miles even after getting off the train at a small secluded station. Therefore, not only the officials of the province but also those of the county were unwilling to get there.
That day, President
The workteam leader said they were mainly planting corn as it was a mountainous village. President personally examined the yield of corn per hectare and asked again if the farmers were making up food with only corn.
The workteam leader hesitated to say that there was not even a patch of paddy fields in the valley and that the farmers didn't have a chance to see rice but were living without worry as they were having just the corn rice bellyful.
With shadow over his face, he thought over and over again about the farmers who didn't know the white rice all their lives.
Worried about the life of the farmers of the mountainous area that had not yet become rich enough, he stood on the windy road for a long time and finally got into his car only after being prompted by the officials.
That day, on the way back from Tang Hyon Farm, he gave field guidance to various units and arrived at his lodging late at night.
In fact, he went to the province by the resolution of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea to rest just for a few days, but from the first day of his visit, he gave guidance to the farms in the daytime and kept on exploring and thinking all through the night, maturing a far-reaching plan for the eventual solution of the rural issue.
The official accompanying President, being concerned for his health, told him several times that it was late at night, but he said that the workteam leader's confession that they had lived without a sight of white rice weighed so heavily on his mind and insisted that though all the other work should be postponed to later date, he should go to Tang Hyon Farm and discuss the measures for improving the living standard of the farmers the next day.
Looking at the official who was hesitating to reply as they could not take him back to the rugged mountain road where the bitter cold was going on, he said he knew how he was feeling and that although he had come to rest for a few days in accordance with the resolution of the Political Bureau, it would be no use having a rest as the farmers of the mountain area were leading a hard life. He earnestly asked him to go to farm again the next day.
The next day, he visited the farm and told the officials and farmers, who were hurried to pay tribute to him, that they should discuss the ways to improve the living standard of the farmers who had had no sight of the white rice.
Hearing once again that there was no paddy field in the farm, he said that the farmers could not eat rice because rice farming was not being done, and asked what crops were planted before and which one was the most beneficial.
When a primary official of the farm said that bean was better than other crops, he asked about its yield per hectare and said it was good enough. He went on that it would be possible to plant lots of beans and swap bean for white rice as there was not a proper water source and it would be inappropriate for bringing water from elsewhere as well.
Then he told a senior official of the county that the bean and white rice should be changed in a responsible manner so that the farmers could eat it.
He went on discussing the ways to raise the cash income of the farm.
Having heard that the only source of raising cash income was the mountain fruits and that dates and chestnuts were the most famous, he asked how many date and chestnut trees there were and how much dates and chestnuts had been gathered last year and personally calculated the amount of income from it. He then told them that it was too much cheap, adding that the price should be raised by discussing it with the procurement agency.
He then said that it was worthwhile for people to live only when they had hope, and earnestly stressed the need to plant a large number of fruit trees, including date and chestnut trees, and various industrial crops, and to manage mulberry trees efficiently to produce a great amount of cocoon, and to develop livestock farming by making good use of the arrowroot mountain.
Learning of the fact that the officials of the county rarely visited the farm as it was too remote, he stressed over again that they should help the poor farms like Tang Hyon in a responsible manner, adding that the Party committee of the county should give the farmers a responsible assistance to improve the living standard in the next few years so that they could feel the advantages of the socialist system through their actual life, and finally got in his car to leave.
From that day when the farmers felt deep gratitude by President's visit to their farm, they could eat white rice as the state swapped it with their products every year.
And the yield of grain per hectare became tripled, the amount of income per household doubled, and the cash 6 times.
Furthermore, more than 100 hectares of date mountain has been newly created, chestnut forests spread out, herds of domestic animals swarmed by in every valley, and civilized dwellings and cultural and welfare establishments including kindergartens and nurseries built in the sunny foothills to make the farmers enjoy a happy life.
The fatherly leader made devoted efforts for the people without resting even a single day throughout all seasons of the year.
The days and months of our country are reminiscent of President
