Rapid Rural Development of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
On December 20, 2024, 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, speaks at the completion ceremony of a new local industrial plant in Songchon County.
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 2024.
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.
Characteristics of Construction of Large-Scale
Greenhouse Farms in the DPRK
In mid-March this year an inauguration ceremony of a world’s leading greenhouse complex was held in the Kangdong area in a suburb of Pyongyang, the capital of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
There are noteworthy points in the country’s construction of large-scale greenhouse farms.
First, their construction is not for any economic profit but for the welfare of the people.
The ruling Workers’ Party of Korea and the government of the DPRK have long paid great attention to the construction of greenhouse farms.
In recent years in particular, they have formulated it as a policy to build large-scale modern greenhouse farms on a nationwide scale to supply the people with various fresh vegetables in all seasons.
In line with this policy, construction of large-scale greenhouse farms started in the areas where vegetable farming is not successful owing to unfavourable natural and climatic conditions, and the Jungphyong Greenhouse Farm in North Hamgyong Province was inaugurated in 2019, and the Ryonpho Greenhouse Farm in South Hamgyong Province in 2022.
The third entity is the Kangdong Greenhouse Complex.
Second, the size and productivity of the greenhouse farms have become larger, and each of the more advanced greenhouses and public buildings has been built in a year.
The Jungphyong Greenhouse Farm, built in a little over a year, was the largest and modern farm of its kind in those days in the country.
It consists of a total of 320 hydroponic and soil greenhouses including 1 000 m2 semi-arched and double-walled greenhouses numbering 300, hundreds of flats, and many public and production buildings.
The Ryonpho Greenhouse Farm has more than twice the size and production capacity of the Jungphyong Greenhouse Farm.
More than 850 hydroponic and soil greenhouses, where vegetable cultivation is done on modern, intensive and industrial footing, were built in 280 hectares, and over 1 000 flats, schools, a hall of culture and general public welfare service facility were built, turning the whole area into a large farm area.
The construction took only 230 days.
The Kangdong Greenhouse Complex, built in one year, is of a larger size and has a greater production capacity with more developed combined greenhouses than the Ryonpho Greenhouse Farm, public buildings and terraced houses that present a good harmony with the surrounding natural scenery.
Third, the greenhouse farms have been built by the soldiers of the Korean People’s Army.
The KPA soldiers, holding the slogans “Let us take charge of both national defence and socialist construction!” and “Let us help the people!” have built many structures for the happiness for the people, to say nothing of protecting their lives and property at the cost of their lives.
This army has built the greenhouse farms, each one in a year.
That’s why in his speech encouraging the soldiers, who built the Kangdong Greenhouse Complex, Kim Jong Un, President of the State Affairs of the DPRK, said:
As it has always been with you, you are just given the priceless honour of leading the effort to effect a world of transformation in the coming years, a world which our ideals and our style of creative struggle will surely lead to. Let us continue to advance and achieve victory, singing the song of creators under the uplifted banner of defenders.
Exhibition of Farm Machines
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is putting nationwide efforts into effecting a new development of farm machine industry.
Just as in the previous year, the country has arranged this year an exhibition of farm machines under the title Farm Machine Industry Development-2023 at the Three-Revolution Exhibition House in the capital city of Pyongyang.
On display are hundreds of kinds of farm machines including unmanned helicopter and mobile combined maize thresher.
New Landscape of Countryside in DPRK
According to information, over the last three years more than 80 000 dwelling houses have been built at state expense in more than 1 500 farm villages across the DPRK. They have been provided to farmers gratis.