Premier Pak Thae Song, who is also member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, inspected different sectors of North and South Hamgyong provinces.

During his inspection of the Ryongsong Machine Complex, he pointed to the need for its officials, technicians and workers to perfectly complete the renovation project for this year with a stronger sense of responsibility and redoubled efforts and to steadily increase its scientific and technological strength so as to increase the actual output in material processing and ensure the quality of products in the production of custom-built equipment.

At the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex and the February 8 Vinalon Complex, he referred to the need to take thorough measures to supply raw materials and fuel in order to normalize the production of fertilizer and basic chemical products, step up the construction of a slow-acting fertilizer production base and further intensify the research into the application of melamine resin, which takes an important part in the development of the chemical industry, so as to make a substantial contribution to agricultural production and the improvement of the people's living standards.

Learning about the progress in the first-stage construction project of the Tanchon Power Station, he called for speeding up the full preparation for its inauguration, including the trial operation of generating equipment, and paying close attention to providing the builders with good working and living conditions.

At the Sangnong Mine, he referred to the need to give definite precedence to capital tunnelling and reinforce the transport system so as to mine a larger quantity of ore and further perfect the smelting process. At the Hamhung Wheat Processing Factory, he called for increasing the wheat processing capacity to supply quality wheat flour to regional-industry factories.

Going round the refractory workshop and other places of the Kim Chaek Iron and Steel Complex, he stressed the need to boost furnace performance by taking technical measures for decisively improving the quality of fireproof materials and unconditionally attain the goal of iron and steel production set forth by the Party by accelerating the operation rate of equipment.

At the Musan Mining Complex, he said that it should push ahead with the work for expanding its iron ore concentrate production capacity, including huge blastings, in a planned way and promote its production growth as a leading metallurgical base by making the most of the already laid production foundation.

The field consultative meetings discussed the issues of letting officials thoroughly adopt a work attitude of leading the development of units by taking science and technology as a lifeline and of carefully organizing alternative production and lowering the power consumption norm and took appropriate measures.