[2018-02-17]
The Kim Chaek Iron and Steel Complex is turning out Juche molten iron with the newly built oxygen blast furnace.
The start of molten iron production with local raw materials and fuel in the wake of the successful trial run has opened up prospects for realizing Juche-based iron and steel production at a higher level.
This is the precious fruition of the indomitable spirit of scientists, technicians, officials and builders in the metallurgical industry sector and relevant units.
To put iron and steel production at the complex on a Juche basis they removed tens of thousands of cubic metres of earth in a short period and finished concrete tamping for the foundations of the furnace body, ventilator and air intake tower of the oxygen plant in a matter of some days, instead of conventional ten-odd days, by introducing unique construction methods. They recycled hundreds of tons of steel structures and shaped steel to manufacture dozens of kinds of necessary facilities and completed the uphill task of dismantling a lime kiln in a short time, thereby providing a material and technical guarantee for producing iron and steel with locally-available materials.
Workers and technicians of the complex moved a tower crane as far as hundreds of metres without disassembling it, thus making it possible to carry out the construction of the dust-collecting system, which had been regarded as a bottleneck, as planned. They also pushed ahead with the assembly of equipment and installations and construction work in a three-dimensional way so as to ensure the successful trial run of the conveyor system and pressure test for the waste-heat boiler system. As a result, the heat insulation work for the waste-heat boiler, which had been thought to take over ten days, was carried out in three days.
Workers of the Chongjin Metal Construction Complex installed the large oxygen plant and built a pumping station for it by applying new construction methods. They also fixed several large pumps and filters in an intensive manner to complete the project successfully.
The Steel Design Institute, Hamhung Chemical Design Institute and other units presented efficient technical innovation plans to increase the speed of construction while saving a great deal of materials and labour. Members of the February 17 team of scientists and technicians, in particular, finished technical preparations for the moulding of the cooling box for the oxygen blast furnace and pressed ahead with the making of casting moulds and mould cores to contribute to completing the project as scheduled.
 
By Jong Hwa Sun PT