Well-Received Carpets

Let's finish a day of North Korean posts with a look at the latest from the state-run Korean Central News Agency. Amid the usual run of articles where South Korea or Japan or America are assailed, flayed, flailed or snubbed, there are other more obscure delights. This, for instance, under the intriguing title Well-received Carpets:

Products of the Pyongyang Carpet Factory are drawing interests of many people at home and abroad.

The factory, with a long history of carpet production, is producing various kinds of hand-woven carpet, machine-woven carpet and others to suit the world trend.

It is located in Sosong District of Pyongyang.

Pak Won Chol, director of the factory, said in an interview with KCNA to the following effect: The factory is making silk carpet good for health and longevity which the Korean ancestors had long used and wool carpet giving comfortable feeling.

Or this, Composer Living along with Conservatory:

There is Pyongyang Kim Won Gyun Conservatory on the beautiful bank of the River Taedong.

Kim (January of 1917-April of 2002) was a composer loved by the people. He devoted all his prominent artistic talent to the music development of the country and the rearing of artiste reserves.

Thanks to the great benevolence of General Secretary Kim Jong Il for conveying long his merits, the conservatory was renamed as Pyongyang Kim Won Gyun Conservatory in 2006 when its new buildings were constructed and his bust was erected in front of the main building.

The brilliant history of the Juche-based musical art is associated with the much efforts and merits of the composer who devotedly conducted music composing activities with boundless loyalty to the Party and the leader.

In the bosom of President Kim Il Sung he brought all his talent and wishes into effect. He composed the immortal revolutionary hymn "Song of General Kim Il Sung" and the national anthem "Patriotic Song".

Besides, he created many musical pieces of high ideological and artistic value, including "March of Korea" and "March of Democratic Youth" which aroused the army and people to the construction of a new country...

He, recipient of the Order of Kim Il Sung, Kim Il Sung Prize Winner, Labor Hero and People's Artist, will live long together with the conservatory.

And then there's this, Admiration of Officials, where we travel back in time...

President Kim Il Sung visited a vegetable greenhouse of a farm in Sonbong County (then) during his field guidance to North Hamgyong Province in late May Juche 70 (1981).

To begin with the President acquainted himself with the state of making use of hot water of a thermal power station in vegetable farming.

Having not completed the project for supplying the hot water of the thermal power plant to the greenhouse, they ensured heat with heavy oil.

After getting familiar with the state, the President told officials that the construction of the greenhouse was aimed at producing vegetables by using the hot water of the thermal power plant.

He earnestly instructed officials to wind up the project at an early date and turn out winter vegetables, saying that if the greenhouse was heated with the water of the thermal power plant as it was 120 degrees centigrade, they could cultivate vegetables without a heavy oil boiler.

Adding that if they wanted to do greenhouse farming, they should do it in a big way, he asked whether there were sites to build more greenhouses.

Listening to their affirmative reply, he remarked that the land of the greenhouse should be sandy soil because water sinks into the soil well and the soil is not hardened. At a moment, the officials were struck by his words.

Though they had done greenhouse farming for years but did not pay attention to the nature of soil.

Such being the case, though they carpeted the land with humus soil and manure and applied enough chemical fertilizer every year, the salt density of the soil got high and the soil became hard from after one year or two, with the result that the output decreased gradually.

In order to do away with such phenomena, they changed the greenhouse soil, but no avail. The President gave a scientific solution to the issue of greenhouse soil which even scientists and agro-technicians had not found, thus indicating the way for bringing about a new turn in the greenhouse farming.

Remind you of anything? Yes, it's the socialist gospel! - just like those New Testament stories. Remember?

...and Jesus came unto a village in Caesarea, and lo there was a gathering of elders. And they came unto him and said, For many years have we grown crops upon this soil, and verily the Lord did smite the soil, so that it was salty, and hard, and the vegetables were small and ill-favoured, and the people lamented and cried out, O Lord, In what manner of means have we displeased thee, that our crops wither, and our grapes rot on the vine, and our children starve. And we sacrificed oxen, and goats did we slaughter, crying, Lord, Lord, take these offerings that our soil may be fruitful, and our children prosper. And still did our crops wither, and our children go hungry. And there was weeping, and gnashing of teeth. 

And Jesus spake unto them and said, Hmm, this soil needs more sand, to let the water soak in better. 

And so it came to pass. And the crops prospered, and the grapes grew heavy on the vines, and the olive trees in the olive groves did bend over with fruit, and the people rejoiced, and cried out, saying, Verily, this man is the Son of God....

Comments

[Anthony]

Brilliant!