The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is pushing ahead with the Regional Development 20x10 Policy.

This line, which is designed to bring about a radical change in the material and cultural living standards of the people across the country by building modern regional-industry factories in 20 counties every year in ten years, was proclaimed by the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un as a policy of the Workers’ Party of Korea at the 10th Session of the 14th Supreme People’s Assembly in January 2024.

Revisit to Kimhwa County

Kim Jong Un , general secretary of the WPK, inspected the local factories in Kimhwa County, Kangwon Province on February 7, 2024.

When it comes to the regional-industry factories, they were built in 2022 on a pilot basis. On his visit to the flood-stricken county township on October 1, 2020, where the relief work was near to completion, Kim Jong Un said it was important for the county to renovate its factories so that the locals could benefit from them. Afterwards, he stressed the need to speed up the modernization project in the county at major Party and state meetings.

During his revisit to the county, he looked round the factories that produce foodstuffs, daily necessities and paper, confirming the detailed direction of the construction of regional-industry factories that would be launched on a full scale in different parts of the country from this year, the first year of the implementation of the Regional Development 20x10 Policy.

Noteworthy is what he said that day.

For the implementation of the new policy, it is important to steadily adopt new things with an innovative and creative attitude and to display a high sense of responsibility while overcoming shortcomings, instead of mechanically following and emulating the experience gained in modernizing the factories in Kimhwa.

First ground-breaking ceremony

A ground-breaking ceremony took place with splendour on February 28, 2024 to start the construction of regional-industry factories in Songchon County, South Phyongan Province, located in the intermediate, mountainous area of the country.

At the event Kim Jong Un delivered a speech and took up the first spadeful of earth.

In his speech he said:

The new regional development policy is geared to making anyone who is born on this land–whether they live in the capital city or regions, in towns or mountain villages–lead an abundant and civilized life under the socialist policy of the state.

At the end of this year, we will witness a new transformation in the 20 cities and counties across the country, including here in Songchon County, where modern regional-industry factories, the first fruits of the Regional Development 20x10 Policy, will have been built.

That day, he himself handed over the regimental colours to the 124th regiments of the Korean People’s Army, which were newly formed to implement the regional development policy, and expressed his conviction that the service personnel would confidently create an era of great changes for radically developing regions, regarding devoted service for the people as their bounden duty.

A series of ground-breaking ceremonies held in 20 cities and counties to launch the regional-industry revolution have assured the Korean people that solid foundations for regional development, a long-cherished desire, will be laid in ten years, with a remarkable improvement in the people’s living standards across the country.

Yang Ryon Hui