These days happy news about the start of projects to attain the targets for 2025 as part of the efforts to implement the new regional development policy are often reported in different parts of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Among them are a hospital and a leisure complex in Kangdong County of Pyongyang, a 450-hectare greenhouse farm and vegetable science research centre in North Phyongan Province, a hospital and regional-industry factories in Ryonggang County of Nampho and regional-industry factories and a grain storage station in Hwangju County of North Hwanghae Province.

All these projects mirror the steadfast willingness of the Workers’ Party of Korea to steadily improve public welfare with absolute and unconditional service for the people.

Last year the Party made public the grandiose blueprint for regional transformation—Regional Development 20×10 Policy—and powerfully led the efforts to materialize it.

It was late in February last year that the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of regional-industry factories was held with loud explosion in Songchon County, South Phyongan Province. It was followed by similar successive ceremonies in 19 cities and counties. The construction units of the Korean People’s Army involved in those projects performed great feats in the construction sites. As of February 11 this year all the projects were completed and inaugurated, meaning the brilliant implementation of the first-year task for the Regional Development 20×10 Policy.

The first entities of regional rejuvenation confirming the validity and prospects of the Party’s lines and policies aimed at attaining a simultaneous, balanced and rapid development across the country added vigour to the lives of the regional people and made them more confident that they can build a better future in their own places and with their own hands.

The Eleventh Plenary Meeting of the Eighth Central Committee of the WPK held late last year adopted an important decision on officially including in the new regional development policy the additional construction of healthcare, leisure and grain storage facilities in parallel with the construction of regional-industry factories in another 20 cities and counties in 2025.

The meeting was followed by splendid groundbreaking ceremonies of the huge construction projects to carry out the decision in different parts of the country.

Now the Korean people, witnessing the precious creations of happiness and civilization directly linked with their actual life, recall the days of great transformations, a history so outstanding that the phrase groundbreaking accompanied by inauguration has come into common use, and keenly feel the sincere and benevolent efforts of the WPK associated with the development.

The new regional development policy is an eventful decision and unprecedentedly huge creative struggle, the first of its kind since the founding of the Party and the state. The WPK formulated the new development policy, regarding it as a serious political issue that cannot be avoided any longer to improve the living standards of the regional people, and it is now energetically organizing and leading the determined struggle to carry it out.

The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un maintains it as an immutable principle that differences may exist from region to region in terms of geographical environment, resources and economic potentials but that there cannot be backward regions in view of people’s living standards within the territory of the Republic. Therefore, he has devoted himself to ensuring the whole population lasting comfort and peace and eternal happiness.

The current stirring reality in which the first-year task for carrying out the regional development policy set forth by the Party Central Committee came to a successful conclusion and the new construction projects that can accelerate the more extensive and realistic prosperity of regional areas are being promoted one after another, suggests that the historic cause of regional rejuvenation will surely be achieved thanks to the Party’s intention to realize the dreams and ideals of the people at the best level in the shortest possible period of time.

Yang Ryon Hui