[imText1]Initially, I thought the first orders of sample production for Samchonri’s factory in Pyongyang would be met in a month at the maximum. And I was waiting at Beijing for further discussion of production. However, I had not heard from Pyongyang after two months passed.
Even after a few calls to Pyongyang, no sincere reply came back. At that time, I was considering switch my partner to Ministry of Light Industry, which was headed by Kim Il-Sung’s daughter Kim Kyong-Hee. Then I succeeded, through a high ranking party official, to contact Korea Light Industry Export-Import Co.’s vice president Kim Myung-Sun. I asked him to produce samples and he replied positively.
Finally, after a month (three months for Samchonri), both companies sent the sample products to Beijing. When I met representative from Samchonri at its Beijing office (which it sahred with Kwangmyongsung Company, another NK state commercial agency), he complained “Why did you send sample orders to Light Industry Co.?”
While samples materials were for three thousands products, Samchonri returned twenty four hundreds and Light Industry Co. twenty nine hundreds (the other hundred were defective).
After consulted with my South Korean counterpart and technology provider, Shinho Co., we concluded only a little extra education would be enough for full-scale production for both factories. Along with Shinho’s Kim Sung-Gu, director for North Korean task force, I went to Shenyang, China, to discuss with North Korean counterparts from Light Industry Export-Import Co.
At that time, any North Korean person was prohibited to meet a South Korean without government permission and vice versa. So I had to tell the North Korean government that he was my Cantonese partner.
From North Korea’s Light Industry Co., vice president Kim Myong-Sun came. Coincidentally, all three of us were Kims. So I made a joke “Both in North and South Korea, Kims rock! (not only three of us but also President Kim Young Sam in South Korea, Kim Jong-Il in the North)” Kim Myong-Sun was mad at that time.
Friction ended soon and intimacy developed among three Kims (Kim Myong-Sun knew of Kim Sung-Gu being a South Korean already). Kim MS graduated Kim Il-Sung University with economics degree and worked at NK embassy in Warsaw as a commercial secretary so knew well about socializing with foreigners. I felt like talking with a South Korean business partner.
At the end of meeting, Kim Myong-Sun even suggested to call us brothers, since we were all Kims.
The day after meeting, we signed a contract on August 23, 1995, in Shenyang to commence the first inter-Korean toy factory.
Afterwards, Shinho decided to provide basic facilities for doll production and even told the North Koreans that machines would not be inscribed ‘made in ROK.’
Shinho’s President Lee promised the first order’s raw materials could sell on credit. I even studied doll-producing technologies and video-recorded to teach these back in Pyongyang, since it was not possible to bring South Korean technicians to North Korea.
Ministry of Light Industry provided us a two-story high building 30km far from Pyongyang as a factory site. It took three months to set machinery at the factory site. And 160 workers were mobilized. The other 80 would be soon sent from the KWP mobilization department.
Kim Myong-Sun from Light Industry Co. was appointed to manager of the factory and I president. Then initiation of factory took place with Vice Minister of Light Industry, Director of Overseas Koreans Affairs and other related party officials attended.
At the ceremony I made a speech: “I came from the United States, but I am Korean as all of you are. I hope the first doll factory could grow up in numbers, but I can’t achieve it alone. You must help me out. If I make mistake, teach me and if I do it well flatter me. My wish is every child in the People’s Republic playing with dolls produced from our factory.” I was so excited and could not get to sleep that night.
