Kim Sun Hui, leader of the arboretum management workteam of the plant management workshop under the Central Botanical Garden, has dedicated her life to growing magnolia, national flower of the DPRK, for nearly 50 years. “Starting her career as cultivator at the age of 17, the 66-year-old woman is now a horticulturist with first-class technical qualification and merited urban gardener. She grew and spread tens of thousands of national trees, as well as hundreds of thousands of other trees of great economic value,” said Kim Myong Ho, director of the botanical garden. When Sun Hui was assigned to the botanical garden after finishing a middle school 48 years ago, he recalled, she was very pleased to have a job that suited the emotion of women and her taste. At that time, a project for building an area of cultivating 200 magnolias was in full swing at the then Pyongyang Botanical Garden. She put her heart and soul into the project as she received the love of all as the youngest of her workteam, in which women made up the most. She volunteered to uproot the trees from deep mountain valleys in Yangdok and Maengsan counties, went to her workplace earlier than others to observe saplings and found satisfaction in carrying out her daily tasks twice or thrice as compared to others. She would leave the office last after checking the condition of magnolias once more. As the saying goes, what comes from the heart goes to the heart. More than 200 magnolias, which was as tall as a child, grew healthily and their first seeds were gathered. Through repeated speculation and quest to propagate more trees with those seeds, she found out the most reasonable breeding and cultivating method. “My mother was delighted most when the trees she had grown with sincerity were sent to all parts of the country. Indeed, she devoted her all to the cultivation of magnolias,” said Ri Yon Sun, her eldest daughter. Ten-odd years later, Sun Hui was appointed as the workteam leader. “Our workteam leader is very enterprising. While working for over 30 years at the post, she has raised a large number of trees of good species and great economic value, to say nothing of magnolia,” said Kim Chung Ryol, a workteam member. She cultivated Metasequoia glyptostroboides, gingko, zelkova, apricot, persimmon and other trees and various species of rose and junipers as well. As the mistress of a house, she has her husband, his parents and children to look after, but she has never left her workplace. She was awarded a wrist watch bearing the name of President Kim Il Sung in recognition of her dedication to the cultivation of magnolias and had the honour to take part in the fourth national meeting of mothers and celebration events of the 70th anniversary of the Workers’ Party of Korea. By Kwon Hyo Song PT