Self-reliance is one of the most typical national traits in the DPRK.

At the Eighth Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea, General Secretary Kim Jong Un said that self-reliance was further consolidated as a national trait of Juche Korea and unique fighting spirit of the Korean revolution amid the all-people struggle for hastening socialist construction by increasing the capacity for self-development.

It is the firm will of the DPRK to make remarkable progress in socialist construction regardless of advantages or disadvantages of objective conditions by markedly boosting its internal motive force holding higher the banner of self-reliance.

In the past five years of implementing the decisions made at the Seventh Congress of the WPK, the DPRK overcame manifold hardships and opened up a new avenue for socialist construction by holding fast to self-reliance as the strong motive force of its development.

At present, it is making an all-out dash for implementing the new five-year plan put forward at the Eighth Party Congress.

The general orientation of the new five-year plan for national economic development is to lay solid foundations for reenergizing the overall national economy and improving the people’s standards of living by concentrating efforts on the main link in the whole chain of economic development.

The DPRK regards self-reliance as the main key to implementing the new five-year plan and intents to develop it into nationwide, planned and scientific self-reliance.

At present, it is the only way to preserve the socialist nature of the economy, reinforce the existing foundations of the independent economy and switch to sustainable economic development.

It has proved actually effective in the metallurgical and chemical industry sectors, the key link in economic development.

Under the state’s unified command and control relying on advanced science and technology, the bases for producing iron and steel by the Juche-based method including the Hwanghae and Kim Chaek iron and steel complexes and such fertilizer producers as the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex have concentratedly been provided with labour forces, equipment, materials and funds for capacity expansion projects and present production and detailed measures have been adopted and taken to ensure domestic production of goods on import indexes.

Especially, the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex is pushing on with the project for expanding its production capacity. The work for the restoration of the second series of the urea production process has entered the last stage, while the production and installation of devices for gas generator No. 3, building of a boiler and gas tank, overhaul of an oxygen plant and several other tasks are being carried on at the same time.

Shortly ago, the Hwanghae Iron and Steel Complex successfully finished the repair of an oxygen-blast furnace and carried out the first tapping.

“Everything by relying on our efforts, technology and resources!’—this is the spirit running through all hearts of the Korean people who are making vigorous advance to implement the first year’s tasks of the new five-year plan.