President Jong Jong Gun of the Pyongyang Jonghyang Technology Joint Venture Company is a winner of Kim Il Sung Prize, Labour Hero, People’s Scientist, Professor and PhD. The story about him goes back to five decades earlier.
After graduation from the Shipbuilding Faculty of the then Kim Chaek College of Technology in the late 1960s he began to work as a researcher at the Nampo Ship Design Institute. In the 1980s when the West Sea Barrage was under construction, he made a new invention of making cofferdam by the method of sinking iron vessels and was honoured with the title of Labour Hero.
The project of damming eight-kilometer-long rough waters of the West Sea was completed in a short period of five years, during which hundreds of Labour Heroes were produced. The fact that Jong Jong Gun was the first Labour Hero among them shows how important the role of building and launching iron vessels for cofferdam was in the project.
Later, he designed a floating dock-style plane shipway, the first of its kind in those days, and buckled down to the manufacture of the giant structure. The floating plane shipway would make it possible to repair and launch several ships in any places.
He pooled efforts and wisdom with workers of the Nampo Shipyard to build and launch a 6,000-ton floating dock. What remained was to find out the way for putting a ship for repair on the dock. Some technicians suggested a method of unloading a ship and putting it on the dock as it was the first time for them to do it. But, thanks to Jong’s scientific assertion, a ship with a full cargo could be put on the floating dock.
In August 1992, a large vessel was put on the floating dock. It was another revolution in the shipbuilding industry sector of the country.
He also made a great contribution to developing the shipbuilding industry while he was working at an institute in the capital city of Pyongyang.
In February last year, he visited the floating dock-style plane shipway in a shipyard.
He said he wanted to look round the floating dock.
He, together with officials of the shipyard, surveyed in detail the technological conditions of the dock.
Its operation was still good but its deck was considerably eaten away with rust due to seawater. It was badly needed to remove the rust of the dock and paint quality anti-rust materials. The knottiest problem was how to prepare a large amount of paints with great adhesion and strong resistance to seawater.
After returning home, he could not go to sleep throughout the night.
His children were touched as they were told about their father’s worries about the floating dock for several days. They looked back upon his career since he embarked on the road of developing new building materials at his advanced age.
Over 10 years ago, he buckled down to developing paints. It was a challenging task for him as he was a greenhorn to chemistry, but he devoted all his time and energy to solve the mystery of chemistry, recalling his learned knowledge.
Paints developed by him were applied to building monumental structures, including Kim Il Sung University, International Friendship Exhibition House, Sci-Tech Complex, Mirae Scientists Street, Pyongyang Grand Theatre, Pyongyang International Airport, May Day Stadium and Central Zoo.
In those days, he has received high appreciation from Chairman Kim Jong Il and the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un several times, the national quality management system certification for production lines, 10-odd certificates of February 2 Products, many certificates of inventions, patents and sci-tech hits, and top prizes at building-material exhibitions held at home and abroad.
After discussing with his children, he made a resolve to prepare and send the whole quantity of quality anti-rust paints and metallic paints for coating the floating dock.
Since then, the Pyongyang Jonghyang Building-Material Factory began to develop and produce paints day and night. 77-year-old Jong could be seen at the dock-repair site, applying paintings or advising workers while going up and down the ladder.
Scientific research is conducted with conscience. I will support the country with it.
This is his view on life.
Decades ago he was greatly conducive to the manufacture of the floating dock, and today leads his children to take responsible for its long service life for the country.
He still engages in scientific research for the good of the country and the people.
Paektu Solidarity Alliance 