Among ordinary workers of the DPRK, there is a Merited Weaver who set a world-startling record of walking the distance equivalent of that of going round the earth ten times during the past 25 years upholding the torch of the multi-loom tending movement. She is Ri Myong Sun at weaving shop No. 1 of the general weaving workshop of the Pyongyang Kim Jong Suk Textile Mill. As a woman in her 40s, she is an ordinary person with small stature, but she did not live as a commoner. Over 20 years back, she volunteered to work at the then Pyongyang Textile Combine. She studied at the vocational school of the factory before taking a job at her present workshop, which produced many heroines in the Chollima era. She strived to work like Jon Ok Hwa and other heroine weavers. During the Arduous March and forced march when the country was experiencing unprecedented difficulties, she formed a shock force with girls of her workteam to run idle looms. She continued to increase the number of weaving machines in her charge from 8 to 10, 12 and 16, but she had never felt contented. One day in July 2009 when she was operating over five times more looms than her assignment, she met Chairman Kim Jong Il on an inspection tour of the mill. The Chairman affectionately shook her hands, calling her a new generation of labour innovator, and had a photograph taken with her. Looking up to him, she pledged to work harder. Since then, the conception of innovator has completely changed for her. She has never flattered herself as an innovator as she made redoubled efforts to attain higher goals. Though her working route extended as the days went by, she worked hard and hard. As she carefully watched other weavers after her shift, she hit upon a good idea that could double the daily production plan by renewing the method of making the rounds of looms. The new route corresponded to half of the previous one, but it required intensive and quick work. Therefore, she made unknown efforts to acquire dexterous workmanship and prepared herself to be competent to fix minor problems by learning repair skills after her shift. “Fellow workers lavish praise on her, describing her as an enterprising woman with fast workmanship,” said the manager of the mill. The total length of cloths she has so far woven is more than 2 400km. In order to weave such a length of cloths, a weaver should walk well over a hundred times of the length. She walked 60km every day, which means that she travelled a total of over 400 000km to run her looms, which is equivalent of the distance of walking round the earth for ten times. A motivator of her workteam, she led many fellow weavers and newcomers to become innovators and treasures of the workshop with warm humanity and personal example. “I don’t feel exhausted when I deem my workplace as the post to defend the country,” says Ri Myong Sun. By Ko Kwang Yon PT