economy

Five intellectuals were selected as the best scientists and technicians of the DPRK in 2024 as they made a great contribution to putting the country's science and technology on a world level and building an economic power and improving the people's standard of living by dint of science and technology.

Lead developer of advanced analytical equipment

Son Mun Ho, PhD, associate professor and head of an office of the Applied Chemistry Institute of the Faculty of Chemistry of Kim Il Sung University, developed and introduced advanced analytical devices one after another, contributing to properly solving the scientific and technological problems arising in the development of science and technology of the country and in various sectors of the national economy.

He is the lead developer of the research project "Development and introduction of advanced analytical devices including voltammeter and  atomic absorption spectrometer & flame photometer".

He took part in the development of ultra-modern analytical equipment, the integral whole of various advanced technologies monopolized by only a few countries, and carried out extensive research for nearly 10 years. He played a key role in working out the master plans and completing the development of eight kinds of advanced analytical and measuring equipment including the voltammeter capable of making microanalysis of toxic and heavy metal elements and a piece of Korean-style analytical equipment which integrated the simple and compound atomic absorption photometers and flame photometer to analyze almost all metallic elements and some non-metallic elements promptly and accurately.

There are good prospects for the wide introduction of these pieces of localized equipment including voltammeter into various sectors and units of the national economy as essential ones, especially for improving the quality of products at the newly-built city and county foodstuff factories.

To solve the problems urgently needed in reality by fulfilling his mission as a scientist is his motto.

Doctor in his thirties establishes a new pig iron production process

Kim Il Nam, PhD and academic adviser of the scientific research department of Kim Chaek University of Technology, played a key role in establishing a pig iron production process based on energy-saving oxygen blast furnace built at the Kim Chaek Iron and Steel Complex.

The new pig iron production process is of great significance in developing the iron-making industry onto a higher stage as it can more than double the iron production capacity while reducing the production cost.

He has been involved in solving the scientific and technological problems arising in putting the metal industry on a Juche basis for more than ten years. He worked at various metallurgical industry bases for over ten months every year.

He tested his findings several times, but failed. So he wanted to give up.

But the patriotic conscience of the doctor in his thirties told him that someone must do it as it is absolutely necessary for the country and young scientists full of vigour should take the lead in doing it.

He settled scientific and technological problems arising in various systems of the energy-saving oxygen blast furnace ranging from the feeding of raw materials to the drying of concentrated ore, floating preheating, furnace body and dust-collecting in cooperation with the Kim Chaek Iron and Steel Complex and several scientific research institutions, thus contributing to lowering the amount of raw materials consumed per ton of pig iron and improving its quality.

Best scientist in power transmission and supply

The scientific research project "Optimization of power distribution system and establishment of protection system by using power GIS" was successfully completed recently, providing a scientific guarantee for saving electricity equivalent to the power output of a big power station by reducing the loss of electricity in transmission and minimizing the occurrence of accidents in the electric power system.

The scientist who led the project is Kim Kyong Su, PhD and director of the Electric Power Information Institute under the Ministry of Electric Power Industry.

Several years ago, he and his research group established a national integrated power management system to suit the actual situation of the country, thus contributing to easing the power shortage.

In the course of it, they laid the technical foundations for the more scientific management of electric power by covering power stations, substations and power distribution stations as well as industrial establishments and households across the country.

They optimized the power distribution system based on the power geographical information system, developed and introduced hundreds of Korean-style high-performance protective devices and built the power system protection, monitoring and control system, power load management system and others.

The establishment of the national integrated power management system and successive introduction of various subsystems on the basis of it helped remarkably enhance the scientific and modernization level of the power industry.

In high recognition of his substantial contributions to alleviating the acute power shortage, the country provided him with a modern dwelling house in Kyongru-dong and awarded a doctorate to him.

A big step forward in modernizing large greenhouse farm

Kim Chang Il, head of an office of the Modernization Institute of the State Academy of Sciences, played a prominent role in carrying out the research project "Modernization of large-scale greenhouse farm".

Being acknowledged as the youngest and promising talent, he unsparingly devoted his wisdom and passion to developing Korean-style industrial automation software development tools with an ambitious goal.

In the course of it, he ensured the 100 percent domestic production of industrial information system development environment.

The establishment of the greenhouse environment and nutrient solution supply control system and the vegetable growth reading system which can optimize the vegetable cultivation environment at the Kangdong Combined Greenhouse Farm after the Jungphyong and Ryonpho greenhouse farms helps them radically increase vegetable production while saving much labour for vegetable cultivation and lowering the production cost.

He is now working hard to solve the scientific and technological problems arising in putting on a scientific and IT footing the largest ever 450-hectare greenhouse farm under construction.

Scientist contributes to increased grain production with IT

Pae Song Nam, PhD, associate professor and director of the Institute for Agricultural Informatization of the Academy of Agricultural Science, was selected as one of the best scientists and technicians of the country. He made a contribution to correctly estimating the nationwide grain output by establishing a paddy rice and maize harvest prospects estimating system based on the satellite-beamed information interpretation technology and agricultural crop growth simulation technology for the first time in the country.

More than a decade ago, he developed and introduced the GIS for the first time into the agricultural sector to build a nationwide field e-map database.

After winning his doctorate with this research finding, he undertook another research project to apply the satellite-beamed information interpretation technology, a world trend in the agricultural development, to agricultural production, laying the groundwork for further increasing the accuracy of the grain harvest estimation.

The institute played a central role in informatizing agricultural production and in those years it developed and introduced a large number of IT successes and technical products, including the agricultural science and technology service system "Hwanggumyolmae", the integrated production system of farm and the water management and control support system, into the agricultural sector to contribute to increased grain production of the country. Such successes are largely attributable to his painstaking efforts.

Later, he and the research group developed and completed a series of successful entities which can improve the level of agricultural informatization to a higher stage, including a system capable of estimating the growth of crops, their yield and the execution of farming processes and a system of estimating the wheat and barley harvest prospects by using advanced technological means including drone.