North Korea has launched a comprehensive narrative on building a socialist civilized state, encompassing everything from expanding tourism infrastructure to controlling culture and ideology, mobilizing production, and managing rural life. This initiative prominently highlights the normalization and institutionalization of Kim Jong Un’s development model.
On January 23, the ruling Workers’ Party’s official newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, reported on the completion ceremony of the Yeombunjin Coastal Park in North Hamgyong Province, symbolizing the achievements of local development policies. The newspaper described the Yeombunjin Coastal Park as a monumental creation that embodies the Workers’ Party of Korea’s principle of prioritizing the people, stating that it serves as another foundation for citizens to fully enjoy socialist civilization.
On the second page, the newspaper theoretically outlined the concept of socialist cultural construction based on Kim’s revolutionary ideology, emphasizing the need to apply the party’s centralized leadership system to the cultural sector. It asserted that thoroughly implementing the party’s unique leadership in cultural development is a fundamental principle, and called for the organization of all cultural fields under this unified leadership system.
The third page presented strengthening the skills of party members as a key task ahead of the party’s 9th Congress. The newspaper stated that members of the Workers’ Party of Korea must stand at the forefront of the struggle, defining high political capability and ideological learning as the essence of party member identity.
On the fourth page, the newspaper developed a discourse on a mass mobilization economy centered around the increased production and conservation movement. It emphasized, through the example of the Sangwon Workers’ Class, that the spirit of the masses determines everything, portraying increased production as an expression of loyalty, patriotism, and mental strength.
The fifth page focused on the construction of the Gwaksan Reclamation Project, highlighting the military’s construction capabilities and the narrative of self-reliance. The newspaper reported that upholding the party’s reclamation construction policy, the soldiers of the Baekseok Iron Works unit have completed the first phase of the water-blocking project, expanded the basic embankment, and piled stones by last year. They are now accelerating the construction of the breakwater and intermediate embankment with an indomitable spirit of attack, achieving significant progress in the total volume of work completed to date.
On the sixth page, the newspaper reported that in rural areas across the country, competitions to manage homes in line with civilized living conditions, culturally enhance lifestyles, and beautify villages hygienically are actively taking place. Last year alone, over 56,000 households earned the honor of being exemplary socialist households, discussing the discourse on life revolution centered on managing rural homes and innovating living culture.