Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of North Korea’s Workers’ Party, attended the opening ceremony of a local industrial factory in Sinpo City, emphasizing the importance of regional development policies.
The Workers’ Party’s official newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, reported on July 21 that the ceremony was held with great fanfare on July 19. Key officials, including Kim, members of the party’s central leadership, and commanders from the Korean People’s Army’s joint forces, were present at the event.
According to the newspaper, Kim personally cut the ribbon and toured the newly completed fishing gear store and the Sinpo City food processing plant.
In his speech, Kim praised the city’s progress, stating that Sinpo City has now gained reliable potential and strong momentum for independent development. It has become a powerful hub for regional economic growth and improving people’s livelihoods.
He further emphasized the need to set more ambitious goals for local development. Kim urged that experiences gained from production processes at the newly established local industrial factories should be shared, and best practices should be widely implemented to actively promote the development of light industrial production bases across the country.
Following this, Kim visited the coastal aquaculture farm in Sinpo City. The newspaper reported that after thoroughly inspecting the production and processing conditions, he expressed great satisfaction upon seeing the cold storage facilities filled with products.
Kim reflected on the progress, saying that in July of last year, it held a meeting about local economic development in an area that was nothing but pine forest and sand. Now, just a year and a half later, this aquaculture base has entered a solid development trajectory. It can regularly harvest seafood and produce various processed seafood products and daily necessities from our own light industrial bases, demonstrating strong potential for growth.
The Sinpo City aquaculture farm, which North Korea began constructing in July of last year, was completed in December, just five months later. Kim showed particular interest by visiting the site twice, in July and November. During these visits, he instructed that the construction of this aquaculture facility should serve as a model for other facilities.
In February, North Korea also initiated construction on a coastal aquaculture farm in Nakwon County, completing it in August. This indicates a strong focus on developing the aquaculture industry. These efforts appear aimed at leveraging region-specific resources for economic gains and addressing the food needs of North Korean residents, who continue to struggle with chronic food shortages.