On June 5, 2008, Chairman Kim Jong Il visited the Taedongmun Cinema.
He was very happy to see the splendidly renovated cinema. But he stopped in front of a staircase in the lobby leading to the auditorium. He pointed out that it was wrong to connect the lobby and the auditorium with a staircase.
The officials were at a loss.
It was natural, they thought, to set up a staircase as the auditorium was on a higher position.
He said to them, “Among the visitors to the cinema there may be many elderly and children. If they miss their footing on the stairs, they may fall down and suffer injuries. The cinema should be laid out also for the convenience of the elderly and children.”
Afterwards, the staircase disappeared to be replaced by a slope way with a gentle gradient.
