Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and President of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, gave field guidance at the Nampho Shipyard on November 2.

He was accompanied by Jo Chun Ryong, secretary of the Central Committee of the WPK.

He was greeted at the shipyard by leading officials of the Shipbuilding Institute and the shipyard.

The Nampho Shipyard is pushing ahead with the project to modernize its overall production lines and also making progress in the building of a new warship, in accordance with the tasks set for the warship building sector at the Second Plenary Meeting of the Ninth Central Committee of the WPK and the decision made at the First Enlarged Meeting of the WPK Central Military Commission.

Comrade Kim Jong Un learned in detail about the master plan for updating the shipyard and then about the organization of economic work concerning the modernization project and the progress in the project.

He referred once again to the view of the WPK Central Committee on the historical necessity to accelerate the expansion of capacity of the Nampho and other major shipyards and their technical upgrading.

The strategy for developing the shipbuilding industry set forth by the Party Congress clearly indicates the specific orientation for expanding the capacity of the existing shipyards and increasing the operation rate of all the shipyards, he said, adding that the implementation of this strategy means the updating of major infrastructure of the state which is of key significance in bringing about a leap forward in the country's marine industry to promote economic development in the future, defending the security of the sea border and maritime sovereignty and exercising the strategic deterrent.

He said: In particular, it is a vitally important requirement of the times to rapidly bolster up the surface and underwater combat power in defending national sovereignty in the sea where various threats are posed. The necessity to completely upgrade the combat power of the Navy at present is born of the circumstances in which a new geopolitical situation has been created and which compel us to contain by force the nuclear blackmail and threat of the enemies in the region that are actually and gravely affecting our national security. Our plan for the development of the shipbuilding industry sector adopted at an opportune time is a responsible option in view of the achievement of national prosperity and ensuring of security and an expression by action of the just will to achieve the rejuvenation and development of the country and defend its peace.

Saying that the advanced and hi-tech shipbuilding base is essential for building a powerful naval force which no one can provoke, he stressed the need for the shipyard to set the standard goal of modernization in the direction of improving efficiency in the aspects of quality and productivity and saving manpower and establish an intelligent integrated production system which comprehensively controls the whole course of shipbuilding, thus opening the highest phase and creating model experience in the development of the shipbuilding industry.

He set forth the important principles and tasks in modernizing the shipyard, including the issues of highly automating all the elements of production lines, constructing one more ground dock to create the capacity for building and repairing ships at the same time, and correcting the irrational points in the layout of the shipyard's buildings.