One day in September Juche 37 (1948) President Kim Il Sung summoned the officials of the Cabinet and Traffic Ministry and told them about the plan to electrify the railways of the country. 

The President said that abundant electric resources in our country enabled us to electrify all the railways in the country and selected in person some sections to be urgently electrified.

Concerning railway electrification, it was made only in a few countries boasting of their long history of industrial development covering decades or even hundreds of years. Therefore, officials couldn’t but be surprised, in that the President regarded it as the plan to be carried out by the Republic which was merely a few days old since founded.

Looking at the officials so excited, the President said in a strong voice that railway electrification work was of great political and economic significance as it was the first main construction project to be undertaken since the founding of the Republic and when it was completed, it could be the first gift the Republic granted to the people since founded. 

He pointed out to the need of rapidly rehabilitating and developing railway transportation and took a measure to concentrate funds, all technicians, materials and equipment into the construction work.

Thus, the first railway electrification work undertaken by the far-sighted idea of the President became the first gift the Republic granted to the people since it was founded.