N. Korea reports steep increases in iron ore, steel output

SEOUL, Dec. 21 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's iron ore production increased 29 percent this year from last year, while its steel output soared 73 percent in the same period, the North's Korean Central Broadcasting Station reported Sunday.
Citing a ranking official of the North's Ministry of Metal Industry, the radio
station said maximum facility utilization of the communist country's largest iron
mine in Musan and exploitation of new promising iron mines in Eunryul and
Jaeryong have contributed to the steep growth in its iron ore output.
The official was also quoted by the radio as saying that massive facility
renovations and introduction of new manufacturing methods at the North's main
steel mills resulted in the remarkable growth in steel output.
The radio, monitored here, noted that one of the new steel manufacturing methods
included producing the same amount of steel products with lesser amounts of iron
ore resources through technological advancement.
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