Certificates of best scientist and technician of the DPRK in 2025 were awarded to seven scientists and technicians, who made contributions to the development of science and technology of the country, at the People’s Palace of Culture in Pyongyang on March 31.

Kim Song Mu, PhD and section chief of Kim Il Sung University

He is the scientist who played a key role in establishing the process for making sealing products using nano-composites.

Over ten years ago, Kim took on the research into materials science, especially nano-materials research, a cutting-edge field, that is quite different from his major field and has made devoted efforts to developing sealing elements, the core part of a large gas compressor which plays an important role in fertilizer production, in a Korean way.

He and his research team developed a high-pressure sealing ring superior to imported ones in performance by completing a nano-composite production technology and established a process capable of producing high-level sealing products required by various sectors of the national economy.

Pak Hyon Uk, professor, PhD and director of an institute of the State Academy of Sciences

He played a leading role in carrying out the project for clarifying the course of formation and the characteristics of eruption of the Mt Paektu volcano.

Pak is an authority on geology in the DPRK.

Despite his advanced age, he made painstaking research efforts as he climbed up and down the mountains in the vast area of Mt Paektu along with other scientists.

In the course of this, he scientifically clarified the formation course and the eruption characteristics of the volcano and made great achievements in the research into various geological features of the Mt Paektu area.

In particular, he played a decisive role in explaining the geological peculiarity of Jong Il Peak, which is of international significance, and clarified the scientific value of various geological relics on Mt Paektu, thus making a great contribution to registering the area of Mt Paektu as a global geopark.

Min Kwang Sik, Merited Scientist, PhD, associate professor and researcher of Kim Chaek University of Technology

He invented an excellent plan for improving the quality of steel while lowering the standard of material consumption per unit and introduced it into practice to make a positive contribution to putting the metallurgical industry on a Juche basis.

The secondary refining method relying on CO gas, newly developed by Min and his research group, requires a very low cost as compared with the past but has a high refining efficiency and is simple to operate and easy to introduce. Therefore, it has proved effective at leading iron and steel production bases and many metallurgical factories of the country.

He also played a leading role in researching and applying a rational furnace operation method to increase the productivity of energy-saving oxygen blast furnaces at the Kim Chaek and Hwanghae iron and steel complexes and in providing a guarantee for increasing the pig iron output per day while reducing the consumption of anthracite and oxygen.

Sin Kyong Il, professor, PhD and faculty dean of Hamhung University of Hydraulic Engineering

He displayed his outstanding ability in establishing a method for safety assessment of concrete gravitational dams.

As a leading light in the field of hydraulic engineering, Sin made years of painstaking efforts to study the three-dimensional calculation method which was a challenge in the scientific and accurate assessment of the safety of concrete gravitational dams.

In the course of setting the criteria and indices for the safety assessment and drawing new principles and methodology from the Juche-oriented standpoint and insight, he finally figured out the Korean-style calculation method.

The completion of the research into a new method of mechanical calculation with which to assess the safety of concrete gravitational dams with high accuracy helped raise the nation’s disaster prevention capability and put the operation of hydroelectric power stations on a scientific basis so as to generate more electricity.

Ri Jong Guk, section chief of the Agrochemistry Institute of the Academy of Agricultural Science

He is the lead developer of the seed coating agent “Phungnyonmo No. 1” which is popular among agricultural workers across the country.

The introduction of the advanced rice-seedling cultivation technology based on the multi-functional seed coating agent of Korean style made it possible to save much manpower and materials in the agricultural field and grow strong rice seedlings even under unfavourable climatic conditions.

With his enterprising spirit and devoted efforts, he took the lead in carrying out the research project for conceiving a new technology for treating plant growth regulator that can actively control the growth of rice and making it prove effective in practice, thus creating a profitable and superior rice seedling cultivation technology favoured by farms.

In the course of conducting in-depth research into upgrading the function of the seed coating agent, Ri and his research group solved various scientific and technological problems arising in the cultivation of nutritive cold-bed rice seedlings and greenhouse rice seedlings and made a positive contribution to putting the rice seedling cultivation on an industrial basis.

Hong Song Sik, Labour Hero, Merited Scientist, PhD, associate professor and director of an institute of the Academy of Poultry Science

He is an authoritative scientist in the field of poultry research and a meritorious person of socialist patriotism who played a pivotal role in breeding “Pyongyang Chicken No. 1” with good taste and quality by developing a Korean-style breeding method and in establishing its purebred maintaining and improving system and the raising and tending techniques.

Hong was chosen as one of the best scientists and technicians in 2021 for playing a leading role in breeding an egg-laying chicken variety, whose number and continuance of egg-laying and taste and quality of egg are world level and which is highly resistant to diseases, for the first time in the country and in establishing the system of producing breeding chickens.

He has recently brought out the excellent research hit as a result of his strenuous efforts for realizing the noble intention of the Workers’ Party of Korea to provide the people with tasty meat.

He became the first two-time winner of the title of best scientist and technician of the country.

Hyon Chol Ung, researcher of the Phohang District Committee of Science and Technology of Chongjin City, North Hamgyong Province

He developed phytosine, a physiological activator, for the first time in the DPRK and introduced it into the agricultural field, thus making a positive contribution to increasing grain production.

After embarking on the development of phytosine, whose scope of research and application is constantly expanding worldwide for its positive effect on living things, Hyon played a leading role in making phytosine in a Korean way and building its production process in the course of more than ten years of research.

As a result of the scientific elucidation of the effect of phytosine on the growth stages of crops and the establishment of its application method, the agricultural sector has been able to minimize damage after disastrous weathers and ensure a high and stable yield per hectare in recent years.

Research projects for scientific application of phytosine have now been undertaken in various sectors of the national economy, including forestry, fisheries, public health and light industry, and positive results are being made in succession.