A modern large-scale offshore farm is to be built in Ragwon County of South Hamgyong Province according to the regional development plan for 2025, decided at the historic Eleventh Plenary Meeting of the Eighth Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea.

Last year the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un saw to it that the Sinpho City Offshore Farm was built as a model for offshore farming in the new era, opening up a bright prospect for boosting the economic independence of cities and counties on the coasts. And at the enlarged meeting of the plenary meeting, he set forth the honourable task of building an offshore farm, which is advanced and conforms to the local conditions, in Ragwon County and building houses in parallel to turn the fishing village area into an ideal people's village symbolic of new socialist civilization, with a more development-oriented goal of restoring the fishing industry of the country with aquaculture as its major sphere and fundamentally improving the material foundations of the regional economy and people's livelihood.

The grand construction campaign for implementing the regional development policy, which is being expanded day by day while making a more dynamic advance thanks to the steadfast will of Kim Jong Un to provide the regional people with a great happiness as early as possible, is a clear manifestation of the ennobling political ideals, legendary creativity and practical abilities of our great Party and socialist state pursuing the grand programme of the people-first principle.

A groundbreaking ceremony of the Ragwon County Offshore Farm took place on February 14.

The venue of the ceremony was filled with the soaring spirit of the soldier-builders to prove the validity and vitality of the Party's policy with the development of the regional economy and happy laughter of the regional people by creating a distinctive structure of regional transformation, another fairyland in Ragwon County by the East Sea, through continuous devoted efforts for the eternal prosperity of the country and the promotion of the people's well-being, and with the delight and joy of the inhabitants in Ragwon County feeling a new vibrant life.

The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un attended the groundbreaking ceremony.

Present there were Jo Yong Won, Pak Jong Chon and No Kwang Chol and officials and working people in South Hamgyong Province and Ragwon County and soldier-builders.

When Kim Jong Un arrived at the ceremony venue, all the participants broke into enthusiastic cheers, extending boundless gratitude to the prominent leader of the revolution and the great father of the people, who continues the long journey of devoted service for the people, to be eternally etched in the history of the country's prosperity, and steadfastly advances the epochal cause of regional rejuvenation for a simultaneous and balanced development of the whole country.

Waving back to the cheering crowds, Kim Jong Un sent warm blessings to all the inhabitants and officials in Ragwon County who are greeting the historic occasion that heralds a greater happiness for them.

He said that the construction of the second modern offshore farming base would start today after the first of its kind in the city of Sinpho under the WPK’s policy on effectively exploiting and utilizing the regional natural and economic resources. After deciding the construction of the Ragwon County Offshore Farm at the Eleventh Plenary Meeting of the Eighth Central Committee of the WPK, the Party Central Committee had a lot of issues including the designation of its appropriate place and its architectural design discussed and examined since the outset of the year and relevant measures taken to this end, he said, adding that this site was the one he had chosen personally.

This place is free from unfavourable marine meteorological effects and convenient for building a wharf and breakwater as it is enclosed by land on three sides and it is very close to the offshore farming ground, rich in aquatic animal and plant resources and superior in the aspect of marine ecology and, therefore, it is the most suitable site for building the farm, he noted. He said with pleasure that he would present the most beautiful fishing village in the world to Ragwon County by building a modern offshore farm in the area and even flats sustaining the characteristics of the coastal area, and that it would be a good idea to call the fishing village Ragwonpho in the future.

Noting that the prospect of the development of this county, which is one of the smallest counties in the country and has weak economic foundations, lies in making good use of the sea, he said it is his desire to lay a solid foundation for development and create a model socialist paradise we can be proud of so that the county could prosper forever to suit its name Ragwon (Paradise).

He proudly said that if the farm that will be more distinctive and wonderful than the Sinpho City Offshore Farm and a spectacular fishing village that no one has yet witnessed are built, it will directly demonstrate the validity and prospect of the regional development policy pursued by the Party and serve as a model symbolic of the future change of the county, and a brilliant page will be recorded in the history of the county.

He noted that the inauguration ceremonies of regional-industry factories have been held with splendour in the areas of one-tenth of the country’s territory almost every day for more than one month from the end of last year as a proud fruition of the one-year struggle for implementing the Party’s regional development policy. This proves that the scope of our struggle has remarkably expanded and a powerful motive force, capable of advancing our cause, has been created, he added.

He said that our Party will be more thoroughgoing and steadfast, in the future, too, in defending the demands, rights and interests of the people, stressing that to see in this context, today’s groundbreaking ceremony serves as an important occasion for reaffirming and reclarifying the steadfast principled stand of the Party and the government that perform absolute service for the people.

Saying that aquaculture in our country is a sphere of resources development, whose profitability and prospective nature have already been proved, and a sure guarantee for the development of cities and counties located in the coastal areas, he indicated the orientation and ways for the coastal cities and counties to effectively exploit and utilize marine resources on the basis of a scientific study and analysis of the natural and geographical conditions and marine ecological environment.

The future of Ragwon entirely depends on its inhabitants, he said, calling on the officials and working people in the county to turn out, regarding the maritime industry as their vital issue, and thus open up a new sphere of aquaculture unique to the county.

He said that it is necessary to dynamically advance, through our resolute struggle and constant creation of miracles, the new era of comprehensive prosperity, a period of new development, that will be welcomed by all the people enjoying a rich life improved in quality, expressing once again his firm will to forcefully push forward with the great cause of regional transformation for realizing the people's long-cherished desires.

Kim Jong Un dug the first spadeful of earth in celebration of the ceremony.

The venue was swept with the absolute trust in our great Party and deep emotion, and thunderous cheers of “Hurrah!” broke out again amid the fireworks being setting off, beautifully decorating the sky of February.

Expressing his respect for the warm sincerity and courageous efforts of the service personnel who are devoting themselves to the people's happiness true to the Party's plan, Kim Jong Un expressed belief and expectation that the officers and soldiers of the People's Army will build an ideal fishing village of Korean style to be admired by the world with boundless loyalty, courageous disposition and creative mettle unique to them and proudly bring about a new miracle of regional transformation.

All the soldier-builders, bearing deep in their mind the glorious mission and duty as makers of a great revolution, hardened their will to fully display the noble name of our army in the vanguard of the struggle for realizing the sacred cause of regional development in the new era guided by our Party.

The groundbreaking ceremony of a modern offshore farm and fishing village, held with splendour in Ragwon County, serves as a significant occasion for demonstrating once again the steadfast will of our Party to turn all the cities and counties across the country into highly-civilized and rich places, self-supporting and developed in a diverse way and good to live in, and the spirit and stamina of Korea that is making a steady leap forward towards a prosperous future with ennobling ideals and a grand ambition.