Kim Jong Il, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), said that attempts to isolate the country couldn't make its people surrender, the Rodong Sinmun newspaper reported Wednesday.

He made the remarks while inspecting the Ryongsong Machine Complex and the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex recently, said the newspaper, which didn't specify the dates of the inspections.

While inspecting the Ryongsong Machine Complex, Kim spoke highly of workers who managed to build a foundry with their own efforts and technology.

In the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex, the DPRK leader urged the enterprise to complete the gasification process project at an early date, saying the completion of the process would contribute a lot to solving the problem of food shortage.

Kim said the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) has been firmly determined to greatly improve people's living standard this year, which marks the 65th anniversary of the founding of the party.