Han Chung Song, Faculty of History, Kim Il Sung University
2021.9.23.
The great leader Comrade Kim Jong Il dedicated his whole life to the happiness of the people. One of the stories about his warm care for the people is to be heard at the Pothonggang Shop which is a nice people's service establishment in the heart of Pyongyang.
The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un said:
"Comrade Kim Jong Il said that if there is an omnipotent entity in this world, it is the masses, not any god; it was his patriotic creed that the country exists because the people exist."
Comrade Kim Jong Il visited the shop, a nice modern facility, on August 16, Juche 98 (2009) in spite of scorching weather.
Looking round each of the two floors with immaculately clean and nice showcases, stands and other facilities for display of goods as well as counters filled with different kinds of fruits and meat, he was quite satisfied that another excellent service establishment had gone up for the good of the people.
He said to officials: In order to supply people with fresh fruits and different kinds of meat in all seasons you should make sure that the shop makes it a rule to keep the goods in good condition and that the fruit and meat producers increase their turnout for well-regulated supply.
After his inspection of the shop to the last counter of processed meat on the upper floor, he was walking downstairs, when he stopped halfway and cast a careful look at the staircase. Then, he asked officials next to him if there was an elevator in the shop.
It was an unexpected question, and the officials answered that as it was only a two-storeyed building they had not planned to set any elevators when they designed the shop.
Informed of the reason, Comrade Kim Jong Il said: I hear there is a staircase alone to go upstairs in this shop. I am afraid the elderly people may find it hard to walk up and down with goods in their hands. I think it is a sign of little loyalty to the people that you have set a staircase alone in the shop. Of course, it will be no problem to young people but it will cause inconvenience to the elderly people and women to walk upstairs and downstairs. Whatever we do, we must not feel satisfied at simple convenience provided to people, but make it perfect so that there will be no inconvenience or negligence at all. You should set an elevator here.
The parental care of Comrade Kim Jong Il for the people touched the heartstring of the officials, for they had not noticed the inconvenience people might have walking up and down the staircase in the shop with only two storeys. There are spots even on the sun, but Comrade Kim Jong Il allowed no drawback at all, even if it was trivial, in the work for the people—this was an invariable principle of his attitude toward people.
Comrade Kim Jong Il asked earnestly again to open the shop after setting an elevator even if there was little time before the deadline of the project.
Later the soldier builders, bearing his noble intention in mind, completed the task of setting an elevator in a matter of ten days through an energetic effort.
When the Pothonggang Shop associated with such a warm care of Comrade
Kim Jong Il opened, the customers were happy not only at the counters but also in the elevator.
It takes only a little effort to walk up and down a single staircase, but it was far from a petty concern to Comrade Kim Jong Il because he was such a kind of leader who felt as happy as if he had got the whole world when he found the people happy and pleased, and who tossed and turned all night when he had learned the people were in any inconvenient and difficult condition.
Later when he heard a report from officials that the setting of an elevator had been completed in the shop, Comrade Kim Jong Il said with a bright smile on his face that he was feeling good at last to know the people liked it.
Comrade Kim Jong Il did all he could for the good of the people saying, for people he had to be ready even if it was the prize beyond his reach. Conveying his great care for the people, the elevator in the Pothonggang Shop is still in pleasant operation between the ground and first floors, welcoming the customers.
