Kim Jong Il’s Field Guidance
The Low Tech Approach to
Presentations for Visiting Dignitaries

What Is Field Guidance?
• At the end of visits to factories, farms,
schools, large construction sites, etc. Kim
Jong Il offers “Field Guidance” to the
managers and staff of the entity.
• Field Guidance is dutifully recorded by
the managers and accompanying state
media.
• Field Guidance can be of a general but
also of a specific, technical nature.
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Examples of Field Guidance
Field Guidance to Construction Site of Huichon Power Station
2009-09-18
Noting that every minute and second in the construction sites of the Huichon Power
Station witness a leaping advance and innovation and world-startling miracles are
being wrought without let-up in the crucible of this high-pitched drive, he said with
pride that this great speed precisely means a new Chollima speed, “Huichon speed”
based on the revolutionary soldier spirit, the basis of Songun politics.
After making the rounds of the construction sites, he put forth on the spot highly
important tasks which would serve as guidelines for completing the construction of the
Huichon Power Station ahead of schedule.
He expressed conviction that the builders of the power station would unconditionally
complete the Huichon Power Station till 2012 by displaying popular heroism and
matchless devotion and thus live up to the Party’s trust and expectation with shining
feats.
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Examples of Field Guidance
Field Guidance to Scientific Institution
2009-07-01
Our science and technology can serve as a powerful engine for the revolution and
construction and provide a scientific and technological guarantee for building a great,
prosperous and powerful nation only when they are closely combined with production,
he said, underlining the need for the scientists and technicians to pay primary attention
to the scientific researches relying on the domestic resources.
Urging the scientists and technicians to choose, study and settle the scientific and
technological issues whose solution is required by the realities, he stressed that, to this
end, they should establish the revolutionary habit of keeping abreast of the pulsating
reality and solving scientific and technological problems arising in different fields of
the national economy and introduce their research achievements into production in
good time by relying on the strength of the popular masses so that they may pay off.
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Low Tech Approach
• Whether by choice or by
necessity (lack of
electricity), presentations
and note taking are done
North Korea
without electronic gadgets
(PDAs or Smartphones) or
computers.
• There are advantages and
disadvantages to this South Korea
approach as we will see in
the following slides.
Night Time Map of the Korean Peninsula
(Source: U.S. Dept. of Defense?)
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Presentations
• No computers = No PowerPoint
• Instead, large, custom-made, hand-painted displays are used,
either outdoors or indoors.
• These kind of large displays are also popular in South Korea,
Japan, and China.
Kujang Fish Farm
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Display Examples
Mines in Komdok Area
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Display Examples
Kumyagang Power Station
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Display Examples
Migok Co-op Farm in Sariwon City
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Display Examples
Sungni Motor Complex
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Display Examples
New Apartment Complex
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Large Displays = Large Pointers
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Large Displays = Large Pointers
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Large Displays Pros and Cons
• Pros:
– Easily readable without projectors or darkened rooms;
physical presence (like a painting in a museum); format
forces you to put a lot of thought into the product before
painting it (focus on the message). Everybody is standing
during the presentation so nobody can doze off. A
slideshow could consist of several displays in a row which
could be perused during a leisurely walk (health benefit!).
Could end up as outsider art in a New York City gallery.
• Cons:
– Static; hard to make changes; require a lot of space; no
slide show capability; expensive to produce.
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Note Taking
• Managers and staff use small notebooks to
record Field Guidance.
• No PDAs or other electronic gadgets.
• Notebooks are prominently displayed at all
times and eagerly used.
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Notebooks
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Notebooks
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Notebooks Pros and Cons
• Pros:
– No equipment failures (dead batteries, software, lost files); no
distractions (secret texting, etc.); no disruptions (cell phone ringing);
inexpensive. Pages can be used as toilet paper when local co-op store
runs out.
• Pro/Con:
– Managers can’t delete notes (unless they eat the pages) so government
spies can always find out what is going on.
• Cons:
– No connectivity; limited storage capacity; no data encryption; secret
doodling; passing notes in class; small paper airplanes will poke your
eyes out.
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Special Treatment
Gloves: only Kim Jong Il wears gloves
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Do Gloves Interfere With Taking Notes?
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Kim’s Big Umbrella
Jagang Provincial Institute of Forest Science
The big umbrella needs a
strong man to hold it
“February General Steelworks”
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Stories From the Field
Even on Raining Day
Pyongyang, September 1 (KCNA)
It was on a rainy day in July Juche 97 (2008) when General Secretary Kim Jong Il called at Kanggye
Unha Clothing Factory.
The officials of the factory were surprised to see trousers of the leader getting off the car wet.
Before the officials saluted him, he requested them to enter the factory quickly as it was raining.
Looking round the production site, dress sample room and others, he familiarized himself with efforts
of its officials and workers.
When he was leaving, the officials of the factory earnestly told him that he would shelter himself
from rain for a while.
But he got on the car, saying that he had seen many good things at the factory and they should do
much work for the people in the future, too.
When the car went out of sight, they regretted belatedly that they had not given him a suite of spare
clothes.
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Stories From the Field
Meticulous Benevolent Affection
Pyongyang, July 14 (KCNA)
General Secretary Kim Jong Il visited the Hamhung Disabled Soldiers' Essential Plastic Goods
Factory on April 15, Juche 92 (2003).
After a while he went back in a hurry saying that since it was the Day of the Sun the disabled
soldiers of the factory might enjoy the holiday at ease only after he and his suite left it.
That evening he instructed officials to send foodstuffs to the disabled soldiers so that they could
celebrate the holiday well and selected various kinds of foodstuffs one by one.
Something made him look dissatisfied. He asked officials whether they had something more.
An official spoke ambiguously, saying that there were padded clothes but it was warm. The leader
talked of sending the padded clothes along with foodstuffs, adding that they might put on them
next winter.
Warm, indeed, was the affection shown by Kim Jong Il for the disabled soldiers.
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The End
Kim Jong Il’s Field Guidance: “This doll is not anatomically correct!”
All North Korean images provided by:
Korea News Service (KNS)
http://www.kcna.co.jp/index-e.htm
An Atomic Gondola Production
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