One day in July 1980, Chairman Kim Jong Il, who initiated the construction of the Tower of the Juche Idea, came to Kim Il Sung Square to decide on the position and height of the tower on the spot.

A balloon was floating in the sky above the construction site of the tower, which was seen in the square. The height of the balloon was just the same as the actual height of the tower.

Looking at the construction site for a long time, the Chairman said that it would be necessary to extend the height of the tower body to the top of the torch and put the torch on it.

Officials showed their surprise.

Originally, the height of the tower was planned to be 70 meters and it was increased to 150 meters, true to the intention of the Chairman.

The Chairman made a guess of the height of the balloon from the platform of the square again and said that the tower could be well-balanced if the height of the tower body is prolonged by 20 meters.

He climbed the steep stairs of the Grand People's Study House under construction to reach the observatory on it, looked all around the balloon and gave a final conclusion on fixing the height of the tower at 170 meters.

Therefore, the Tower of the Juche Idea could be built on the bank of the River Taedong in the capital city of Pyongyang as the world's largest stone tower. -0-