Special Measure

On November 5, 1974 Chairman Kim Jong Il received a report on the living conditions of Pyongyang citizens. It read that 1 857 families moved into new apartment houses between September and October and that 1000 of them had no heating system.

Instantly the Chairman phoned a senior official in the city to ask if it was true that some people had moved into new apartment houses on Pipha Street without a heating system.

The official falteringly replied that though they had promised the families to install a heating system in their apartments before the cold weather set in, they had failed to keep it because hundreds of skilled workers had been sent to the construction site of the then Nampho Chemical Works.

The Chairman said critically that that meant they were devoid of the spirit of serving the people, and that they should mobilize labour force at once to install a heating system in the houses. And mentioning that they should keep the promise they had made to the people even if the construction of the factory might fail, he had a special measure taken to recall 300-400 of the skilled workers from the chemical plant project.

Accordingly over 300 of the workers returned and launched a campaign to install a heating system in the apartments. By working day and night they finished it in a month and thus warm water found its way into the apartments.