There was a young man who was under the protection of soldiers of the Korean People’s Army when the Fatherland Liberation War (June 1950-July 1953) was at its height. He was Kim Jong Hui (July 9, 1921-November 2, 1975), an architect who had been studying abroad at state expense in the middle of his days at Kim Il Sung University.

Informed of the fact that he set off for home to volunteer to fight on the front upon hearing the news that his country was faced with trials, Supreme Commander Kim Il Sung took a measure for his safe return. He then gave him a task of mapping out a master plan for the postwar reconstruction of Pyongyang, saying that this would be a good option for him rather than to fight on the front.

He met with Kim Jong Hui and other architects on several occasions and told them as follows: We have to rebuild the city of Pyongyang first after winning victory in the war; we should eliminate the backwardness and lopsidedness caused by the Japanese imperialists’ military occupation of our country and rebuild it into a modern city provided fully with cultural and other welfare service facilities for the sake of broad sections of working people, instead of restoring it to its original state.

And he drew a picture on a piece of paper with a colour pencil, opening up a bright prospect for its reconstruction.

True to the Supreme Commander’s far-reaching plan of reconstruction, Kim Jong Hui visited various places of the city even in the face of ceaseless, heavy indiscriminate bombings by the enemy aircraft to make a field investigation and survey, and waged a 24-7 campaign by drawing lines and marking points on the designs.

He sometimes climbed a hill, which commanded a bird’s-eye view of Pyongyang, to sketch the districts of the city.

Noting that he might not notice the enemy aircraft approaching when engrossed in designing, the Supreme Commander saw to it that soldiers were sent to safeguard him.

At last, Kim Jong Hui and other architects pooled their efforts and completed the draft master plan in May Juche 40 (1951). Later, they perfected it under the guidance of Kim Il Sung.

The news that the master plan was drawn up in the raging flames of the war encouraged the soldiers fighting on the front to achieve victory day after day, and the people on the home front devoted their all to assisting the front with confidence in sure victory in the war.

Born in Jongju County, North Phyongan Province, Kim Jong Hui had graduated from a middle school and majored in architecture at a college. But, he could not realize his dream of working for the nation as an architect as his country had been deprived of by the Japanese imperialists.

His dream came true after Kim Il Sung liberated his country on August 15, 1945.

Having assumed the heavy responsibility as the chairman of the Architects Union of Korea in September Juche 34 (1945), he took part in mapping out architectural designing for the building of a new Korea.

Until the last moment of his life, he worked at important posts of the architectural designing sector, and performed with credit the tasks of designing urban and rural construction, including the city of Pyongyang, Sukchon, Anju, Chongjin, Chongsan-ri, Ryongnim-ri and Oguk-ri.