One day in June 1999 Chairman Kim Jong Il visited the Sinuiju Cosmetics Factory.

Shown to a workshop of the cosmetics workshop he picked up a piece of cosmetics on a workbench and asked the officials accompanying him if they had ever seen the cosmetics branded “Nowana” or “Kumgangsan” anywhere else. No answer.

He said as if to himself: You have never seen them. So there is no way that the people have seen them. Then he asked the officials of the factory why they were making those cosmetics.

He frowned at their answer and told as follows: Your products are good. But it is not desirable to export them. Such good products need to be supplied to our people.

He went on: I want to provide all the available good things to our people who are the best in the world trusting and following only the Party in the present hardship beyond description. It is not feasible in the current context but in the future I will certainly let all of them make up with quality cosmetics so they show up well as fairies.