SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il paid an inspection visit to a shipyard in the country's northeast region, the North's state media reported on Saturday, mentioning the shipyard's existence for the first time.Kim "provided field guidance to the Rajin Shipyard" in the North's northeastern port of Rajin, accompanied by top military leaders, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
It was the first time that the North's tightly controlled media reported the name of the shipyard and Kim's visit there. Known as one of three major shipyards in North Korea, the Rajin Shipyard is believed to have built warships and submarines, according to sources in Seoul.
During the visit, Kim underlined "the need for the shipyard to continue waging a dynamic struggle to build more cargo ships," the KCNA said. "It is of very weighty importance for our country surrounded by seas on its three sides to massively build various types of fishing boats as well as large cargo ships," Kim said in the report.
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