In Neighbourhood Unit No. 17 in Sonnae-dong of Mangyongdae District, Pyongyang, there is a family growing saplings of good species of grape in a cosy greenhouse in the yard of their house.

Han Sun Chol, 64-year-old head of the household, is the “horticulturist” of the "greenhouse family" or "grapevine family".

According to his wife Jang Ok Gyong, Han played a key role in building his unit into a place thick with foliage and covered with full-blown flowers during his military service as an officer.

In the course of this, he researched a chest for preserving fresh flowers with which to grow flowering plants outdoors all the year round and was awarded a master's degree in biology for that.

After his demob, he came to have deeper interest in horticulture and put greater effort to it.

Through years of painstaking search and pursuit, he devised an energy-saving greenhouse structure capable of fully providing conditions necessary for the cultivation of flowering plants in all seasons without using air-conditioner. The technique was registered as a national invention and won high appreciation at national sci-tech festivals and exhibitions.

But he did not rest on his laurels.

He built a small greenhouse in his yard, secured saplings of a good grape variety and started cultivating them. As he cultivated a large number of grapevine saplings for many years, he completed the method of cultivating vines on balconies, verandas and roofs of apartment houses.

His method brought forth affirmative response from the units and families that introduced it and the number of people purchasing his vine saplings and growing them at home and in workplaces increased with the passage of time.

Pak Kum Sil living in Kumsong-dong No. 2 in Mangyongdae District said: "As I knew that grapevines could be grown only in the fields, I did not quite believe that they could be grown on balconies. But when I cultivated them on my balconies in the method of Han Sun Chol, they grew surprisingly well and I could gather a large amount of grapes."

According to Jang Ok Gyong, her husband sent nearly 10 000 vine saplings he had grown in the greenhouse to different institutions, enterprises and families and thousands of families are growing grapevines on their balconies in Pyongyang.

“Though I was discharged from military service, I only tried to remain faithful to the duty of service personnel who ought to devote their all to the security and happiness of the country and people. I think the most important thing is to bring real benefits to the country and people, rather than expecting any honour or appreciation."