Wednesday, 21 February 2024

Regional Development 20×10 Policy Portends Gigantic Change



Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, made a policy speech, titled, On the Immediate Tasks for the Prosperity and Development of Our Republic and the Promotion of the Wellbeing of Our People at the 10th Session of the 14th Supreme People’s Assembly of the DPRK on January 15.

In his speech, he stressed that the regional economy should be promoted vigorously.


New Policy for Developing the Regional Industry


In the speech Kim Jong Un clarified the intention of the WPK to vigorously push ahead with the development of the regional industry and made public a new policy for development of regional industry and important measures to be taken to this end.

The speech noted that an important issue arising in improving the people’s living standards at present is to remove the differences between the capital city and provinces and the imbalance among regions. At present, though socialist construction in the country has entered the stage of comprehensive development, there is a great disparity of living standards between the capital city and provinces and between towns and the countryside. Such a gap also exists in every province, city and county according to their conditions.

Kim Jong Un stressed that such phenomena that run counter to the ideal of comprehensive development of socialist construction can never be ignored, and strong state support measures should be taken to improve the overall regional economy.

He continued that it is the immutable principle of the WPK and the DPRK government that although there may be differences among regions in their geographical setting, resources, economic potentials and living environment, there should be no backward region in the aspect of the people’s living in the territory of the Republic.

In recent years the Jungphyong Greenhouse Farm and the Ryonpho Greenhouse Farm were built, the regional-industry factories in Kimhwa County were face-lifted completely, housing construction has been pushed ahead with in the rural communities across the country, helping Kaesong Municipality live on its own efforts has been conducted and other projects for the people in provinces have been carried on, but it is Kim Jong Un’s judgment that this is still too insufficient.

It is his view that a fundamental change can be brought about in the actual standard of living of the regional people, only when, not waiting only for improved situation and conditions, a revolutionary decision is made with a correct fighting policy and a proper methodology, and put into bold practice. 

In the policy speech he clarified his will to forcefully promote the development of the regional industry to develop onto a higher stage the basic material and cultural living standards of the regional people across the country at the earliest date possible.


Regional Development 20×10 Policy


Kim Jong Un said:

It is an immediate task facing our government and a long-cherished desire of our Party to narrow the gap between the capital city and provinces, develop the regional industry in a comprehensive and balanced manner, while promoting the characteristic economic development in the provinces and bringing about a trend of competitive development among them. I am going to make our Party keep hold on the construction of modern regional-industry factories in 20 counties every year as an unerring policy task, carry it out successfully on such a level as Kimhwa County and thus raise onto a higher stage the basic material and cultural living standards of the people in all cities and counties and, in another word, across the country within ten years.

Kim Jong Un named this policy Regional Development 20×10 Policy, and clarified measures for its implementation.

He said that the Party would assume the responsibility for providing funds, manpower and materials to each county annually and compulsorily without interruption, and referred to the measures for establishing a state guidance work system to this end. He continued that a section for guiding regional-industry construction would be set up in the Organizational Leadership Department of the Party Central Committee and he would review its work on his own responsibility and press ahead with it, and remarked:

We have enough ability, possibility and will to implement this plan. We should bring about changes and innovations in the overall space of socialist construction and the improvement of the people’s livelihood in a multi-stage, three-dimensional and offensive way by further accelerating the struggle and conducting a continuous struggle for greater successes.

In this context, this policy would bring about another gigantic change and revolution to eliminate the backwardness of regions, realize the long-cherished desires of the regional people and effect a turn in the realm of the people’s understanding.


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