The People’s Sons

This is what happened a few days ago at the Phyongchon Branch Pharmacy of Pyongyang Pharmaceutical Factory.

It was near midnight and silence settled in the streets.

Very few people visited the pharmacy.

However, the pharmacy remained brightly lit-up.

Hyon Sun Myong, head of the branch pharmacy who had fallen into a doze, was awakened by the sound of hammering from somewhere.

Two medics were repairing the chairs for customers.

All of a sudden, Hyon felt a lump in her throat. She could feel the sincerity of the medics of the KPA (Korean People’s Army) who couldn’t have a minute’s rest sitting on those chairs but wanted to let the customers feel no inconvenience at the pharmacy even when they were waiting on those chairs for the medicines to be supplied.

The medics with the red certificates of dispatch have done good deeds of their own accord since they arrived at the branch pharmacy.

They rearranged the branch pharmacy in a good order before starting their services, watered the surrounding flowerbeds every morning and installed a rain-shield at the front door.

One day, when the medics were having dinner during their break, the head of a neighborhood unit called the branch pharmacy to inform them of an emergency case.

The members of the branch pharmacy let the medics finish their meal and got themselves ready.

But the medics left the branch pharmacy with the address in their hands before they knew.

When the medics returned after taking care of the emergency case, Hyon held them by their hands and said that the residents would scold them, the owners of the branch pharmacy, for being idle and making the medics take such trouble.

Then, one of the medics told her with a bright smile that it was their bounden duty to take care of the people.

These medics surely deserve the call "true sons of the people".

For an Honored Disabled Soldier

Late in May, Ri Yong Ok, an honored disabled soldier under medical treatment in a hospital in Pyongyang was shedding warm tears watching medics fading away on the compound path of the hospital.

She got to know these medics a few days after the state anti-epidemic work switched over to the maximum emergency anti-epidemic system.

At that time, the KPA medics called on her unexpectedly.

They asked whether she felt ill or had inconveniences in life. Their voices were full of love and tender feelings.

After that, they frequently visited her―even late at night or early at dawn.

Whenever they squeezed time and visited her with medicines and foodstuffs although their hands were full taking care of the people’s lives and health, Ri felt so sorry that she couldn’t know what to do.

Then, they would say that Ri was their comrade-in-arms and they would take care of her instead of her son who is serving the army.

When Ri was hit by a sudden disease, they visited her before anybody else and sent her to hospital.

A few days after that, the medics visited Ri in hospital through pouring rain.

Ri was moved to tears when she saw what they had brought for her.

It was nutritious foodstuff carefully wrapped in a cloth which was covered with their raincoats.

The medics’ clothes were all wet with rain.

They said the foodstuff would be good for her recovery and left her in delight.

A voice rang out from the bottom of Ri’s heart.

(My dear comrades-in-arms, I will keep the flower of revolution in bloom, with your love and tender feelings in my heart.)

Story about Medicine Order Book

One night in May, a resident in Tangsang-dong No. 1, Mangyongdae District called the Mangyongdae Branch of the Jangsu Store.

When she found that they didn’t have the medicine she needed, she sighed in regret.

The medics who answered the phone felt uneasy.

They racked their brains about how to relieve the people of their inconveniences and pains and decided to make a medicine order book for visiting the residents, learning about their demands and taking measures beforehand.

Recorded in the book were details about names, addresses and phone numbers of the residents and medicines they ordered together with the numbers of their family members and when to supply the medicines.

Lots of touching stories concerning the book were told.

A story told that the medics visited almost all the pharmacies in the city to secure the medicines on order and another told they visited tens of families a day to supply medicines.

Another story told that they provided materials they prepared by themselves for the war veterans, heroes and honored disabled soldiers.

A few days ago, the medics were reviewing their services at the pharmacy and found out that a resident didn’t keep the change.

Although it was a little sum of money, the medics felt restless.

That day, they managed to find the resident and gave the money back.

Recollecting that day, Jang Hye Gyong, head of the branch, told she couldn’t forget the medics who were looking for the owner of the change.

We could feel gratitude from the sincerity of an old man who brings spring water to the branch for the medics every day and voices of women who said that they think of the medics first whatever happens to their families.

Whenever they look at the medicine order book, the residents of Dangsang-dong No.1 are moved to tears for the thought of the KPA medics who are working day and night for the people.

Rodong Sinmun