North Korea is prominently showcasing the achievements of its Regional Development 20×10 Policy.
The Workers’ Party’s official newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, featured the inauguration ceremony of a local industrial plant in Changyon County on its front pages. The expanded eight-page issue also highlighted the completion of local factories in Pukchang, Cheorwon, and Janggang counties, new rural housing developments, and mobilization efforts for factory construction in Pyongyang. This coverage amplified the atmosphere of what the paper called the second inauguration season.
The first and second pages reported on the inauguration ceremony attended by Kim Jong Un, the General Secretary of the Workers’ Party. The paper portrayed the event as a demonstration of the nation’s bold progress and remarkable transformation towards comprehensive socialist development. It described a fiery cheer of Hurrah! erupting as Kim cut the ceremonial ribbon.
The newspaper quoted Kim emphasizing during his factory tour that the Party’s long-standing goal is to make every city and county self-sufficient and prosperous, which forms the core of the regional development policy.
Page 3 covered the factory completion in Pukchang County, South Pyongan Province. The article claimed that local transformation is accelerating rapidly, with changes once deemed unimaginable just two years ago now becoming commonplace. It asserted that these local industrial factories would significantly improve residents’ lives and boost independent regional economic development.
The fourth page reported on a factory inauguration in Cheorwon County, Gangwon Province, underscoring the Party’s strategy of prioritizing development in the most impoverished areas. A local resident was quoted expressing gratitude, claiming that only its homeland would build such excellent factories.
Page 5 featured the inauguration of a factory in Janggang County, Jagang Province. The paper lauded the swift construction process, noting that the factory was completed in the same year it broke ground. It detailed the production of various goods, including pumpkin snacks, soybean paste, soap, and plastic items, under the Janggang and Hyangraebong brands.
The sixth page highlighted new rural housing developments in South Hamgyong Province, emphasizing the Party’s commitment to making its people the happiest in the world, regardless of cost.
Page 7 focused on the military personnel involved in constructing Pyongyang’s stationery and educational supplies factories. It prominently featured the slogan, When the Party decides, we act unconditionally! The article praised the soldiers’ efforts, claiming that no fortress is unconquerable and no obstacle insurmountable for them.
The final page discussed the national policy on fostering scientific and technological talent. It asserted that anyone with determination can contribute to the nation’s prosperity through science and technology, framing this as evidence of the superiority of its socialist system.