An energy-saving oxygen blast furnace was built and put into operation at the Hwanghae Iron and Steel Complex, which takes the lion’s share in the country’s iron production, on December 19 last year.

This is another step forwards in the establishment of the Juche-based iron production system.

“The iron production system fully relying on domestic raw materials and fuel, free from coke which had been used for ages, has been built at the Hwanghae Iron and Steel Complex in the wake of its establishment at the Kim Chaek Iron and Steel Complex in 2023. As a result, the country’s iron-making industry has been put on a definitely upward track of Juche-orientation,” said Min Kwang Sik, researcher at Kim Chaek University of Technology.

It is the policy of the Workers’ Party of Korea to make the iron-manufacturing industry Juche-oriented by redressing the imbalance, irrationality and lopsidedness that have remained in the sector for a long time.

Scientists and technicians in the field of the metallurgical industry completed a more advanced and efficient coke-free iron-making method of great economic effectiveness by their own efforts and science and technology by putting an end to big-power worship, defeatism and mysticism about technology.

The Kim Chaek Iron and Steel Complex completed the oxygen blast furnace in 2018 to put production on a normal footing and built an energy-saving oxygen blast furnace in 2023 to gain valuable experience.

On this basis, technicians and workers of the Hwanghae Iron and Steel Complex carried out several projects for Juche-orientation in a three-dimensional way.

They completed the building of the systems of furnace body, gasification and floatation and steel structures and the making and assembly of equipment in five months, though they had been thought to take a year, and rounded off the construction of structures measuring over 10 000 square metres, including raw material and repair yards and gas distribution and pumping stations.

According to Deputy Manager Ri Song Ho, valuable research findings and technical plans were introduced into the construction of the energy-saving oxygen blast furnace in keeping with the actual conditions of the complex and profitability.

Accordingly, a raw materials-drying process using waste heat was newly built, an air compressor was fully remodelled into an oxygen compressor and a new measurement and automatic control system was introduced to measure the level of molten iron and slag and automatically control the amount of raw materials and oxygen.

“Everyone shed tears of joy on the day when the first molten iron was tapped. Although we had seen lots of tappings previously, we were so excited about making iron with domestic raw materials and fuel,” said Yun Hyok Chol, deputy manager of the blast furnace workshop.

The thrilling scene of red molten iron pouring down implanted in the workers of the complex stronger faith in and will of self-respect and self-sustenance.