Thanks to the historic and visionary decision of the esteemed Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK), which has unwaveringly dedicated itself to prioritizing and realizing the rights, interests, and aspirations of the people, we are witnessing the dynamic commencement of the monumental regional-industry revolution. This transformative journey has been set in motion with the adoption of the Regional Development 20×10 Policy as the guiding revolutionary principle of both the Party and the state.
In a spectacular display of significance, a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of regional-industry factories in Songchon County, integral to the ambitious implementation of the Regional Development 20×10 Policy, unfolded on February 28.
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, was present at the ceremony and gave the speach as follows:
Comrades!
Greetings to the beloved people of Songchon County!
Today marks a historic moment as we lay the first brick carrying the greatest wish and aspiration of our Party, the implementation of the “Regional Development 20×10 Policy,” here in Songchon County, a representative central mountainous region of our country.
With this, the magnificent struggle for the 10-year goal of our Party to embrace comprehensive development in the regions has finally commenced.
As we take vigorous steps towards the grand transformation called the Regional Industrial Revolution, envisioning the rails of the region transforming anew each year, pride and self-esteem for the struggle we face intensify. The thought that this struggle will multiply our pride and provide substantial support to the millions of people in every city, county, and town in the region cannot be restrained. On the other hand, there is a genuine sense of remorse for starting this now, only with blueprints laid out on the ground.
However, even though we are currently only at the planning stage in the field, merely declaring the commencement of this significant revolutionary project aimed at improving the well-being of the regional people carries enough historical weight.
To the commanders and soldiers of all ranks in our military, including the commanders and soldiers of the 124th Division who will play a vanguard role in realizing the “Regional Development 20×10 Policy,”
To the comrades of the Emergency Central Steering Committee, including officials from related units, who will lead and push forward the transformation of the regions,
And to the hardworking people and laborers of South Pyongyan Province and Songchon County, who have gathered here, fully supporting our Party’s new policy,
On behalf of the Central Committee of the Party and the Republic’s government, I extend warm and combative greetings to all comrades.
Comrades!
Embarking on the construction of regional industrial factories equipped with modern facilities and production processes in all cities and counties of the country within the next 10 years is truly a revolutionary undertaking with profound historical significance.
The fact that the regions have lagged behind the central areas for too long has been an unavoidable norm and a natural reality. However, our Party, always aligning its activities with the core principle of actively turning attention to and solving the common concerns of the entire people, boldly presented this century-long groan as a formidable historical task that must be addressed, no matter how beautiful yet daring it may be.
Starting from this point, the 8th Central Committee of the Party has designated strengthening cities and counties and improving rural living environments as a major national development initiative. It has been tirelessly exploring a new era of comprehensive development where the central and regional areas prosper together.
Recently, focusing its unprecedented efforts, it unveiled the “Regional Development 20×10 Policy,” which places comprehensive modernization of regional industrial factories that must be resolved at all costs. Today, we have proceeded to lay the foundation for the realization of this substantial outcome.
Constantly enhancing the self-defense capabilities to protect the sovereignty of the nation and the self-reliant life of the people, we are simultaneously overhauling every sector of the people’s economy and promoting its development. At the same time, we are pushing for large-scale housing construction in the capital as well as in villages nationwide every year, undertaking another ten-year campaign, as determined as any front, to create a new front.
To completely rebuild the regional economy on a completely new and advanced foundation nationwide, raising the basic material and cultural living standards of the majority of the population in the regions, is a profoundly urgent national task.
We can no longer ignore or postpone this project; we must unequivocally and vigorously push it forward to see tangible results.
Whether one lives in the capital, the regions, the cities, or the rural villages, everyone born on this land should enjoy a civilized and affluent life under the socialist policies of the state. This is the essence of the new Regional Development Policy.
The success of the “Regional Development 20×10 Policy” is already assured.
Above all, the new policy of the Party and the government is actively supported and embraced by Party members and the people. The urgent demands and concerns of the entire population are reflected in this new regional industrial development policy, and its implementation measures are clear. Everyone welcomes and cheers for it, especially the people in the regions who enthusiastically accept it as their own, firmly believing that it will become a reality.
This is an invaluable and powerful force like no other, unmatched by any resource.
Our Party’s policies are all aimed at advancing the interests and improvement of life for Party members and the people. As the people believe that the projects decided and carried out by the Party always transform into excellent realities, they consistently support and wholeheartedly embrace them.
It is our consistent attitude in all endeavors to base them on scientific and meticulous calculations, with a robust organizational command system. Entering the highly important year of 2024 for our revolution and national development, the Central Committee has thoroughly researched and earnestly discussed the historical task of implementing the Regional Development Policy.
We have ensured that the necessary funds, resources, cement, and steel for the construction of regional industrial factories in cities and counties are fully guaranteed by the state. We have also devised appropriate measures to address various issues, including the transportation of construction materials.
In the preparatory and trial stages of the execution of the Regional Development Policy, we have carefully reviewed the experiences and current realities in Kimhwa County, considering new issues and proposing preventive measures for potential biases.
To robustly implement the “Regional Development 20×10 Policy” as a substantial and strong Party-centric project, the organizational leadership has sent teams to cities and counties designated for construction this year to thoroughly investigate the situation. They have engaged in serious consultations with local and design teams to precisely determine the direction of construction. The structures and systems for implementing this project at the Party and national levels have been established and are beginning to operate.
Just yesterday, I reviewed and approved a comprehensive report reflecting the scale, location, and production processes of the regional industrial factories to be constructed in 20 cities and counties this year.
Now, everything necessary to construct dozens of regional industrial factories in 20 cities and counties within this year has been budgeted and prepared.
The issue now is how the urgent demand of the people and the major Party and government initiative for the construction of regional industrial factories will progress in reality. It also concerns how effectively these factories will operate in the future.
I am confident, not only for all the soldiers and construction workers present here but for all workers, Party members, and citizens nationwide, that by joining forces with the central and regional authorities, cities, and counties, and by actively cooperating with construction workers and scientific and technological forces, we will achieve successful results that will truly resonate across the nation.
Comrades!
Taking on this challenging yet honorable revolutionary task, the Korean People’s Army, as the foremost defenders, creators, and participants in the socialist revolution of our country, becomes another crucial factor that assures the victory.
Once again, our Party has entrusted the Korean People’s Army with the vanguard of the 10-year revolution to revive the local economy.
In response to the call of the Party Central Committee, the 124th Division soldiers promptly rushed to the front lines, demonstrating their combat spirit and strong determination to contribute to the new transformation of the regions and the overall revitalization of our nation.
On this occasion, I would like to emphasize a few points to the soldiers deployed to construction sites of regional industrial factories across the nation.
As I mentioned during my visit to the Ministry of Defense on February 8th, whenever a major and urgent task emerges in front of the revolution, the Party and the people place great trust in the army, and the Korean People’s Army faithfully responds to this trust and expectation. It is a glorious tradition that has continued for centuries.
There is no doubt about the combat spirit, sacrifice, and flawless creative spirit of the Korean People’s Army.
The soldiers dispatched to 20 cities and counties nationwide consider themselves the creators of a new era and are committed to constructing regional industrial factories at the highest qualitative level. Their goal is to ensure that their hometown parents and siblings no longer face hardships in their daily lives.
Comrades must not forget that each day of their struggle should lead to fulfilling and rewarding tasks aligned with the policies of the Party and the nation. It is essential to keep in mind that the tangible transformations and changes in the lives of the people resulting from the implementation of the Party and government’s regional development policies are determined by their dedicated work.
In the commitment to realizing the slogan “Everything for the Improvement of People’s Lives!” the Korean People’s Army must always lead and set a splendid example.
Whether progressing construction according to schedule, complying with the requirements of technology and methods, or meticulously conserving resources, the spirit of the Korean People’s Army should be thorough, precise, and impeccable. The results should be something that the entire nation, including places like Songchon County, can proudly pass down to future generations as a symbol of our era.
When the efforts of comrades in the struggle have a profound impact on the mindset, attitude, and lifestyle of local workers, the people, and the soldiers, and when it brings about a real change in all aspects, that is when the intention of the Party Central Committee, placing comrades at the forefront of the regional industrial revolution, will be fully realized and truly worthwhile.
I believe that the 20 commendations awarded today to the commanders of the 124th Division will shine the brightest as revolutionary and patriotic achievements of our most innovative and humane Korean People’s Army.
Responsibility secretaries and military commissioners in charge from Songchon County and all cities and counties nationwide must redouble their efforts.
It is crucial to remember that those directly responsible for the great revolutionary task of realizing the “Regional Development 20×10 Policy” are none other than the responsibility secretaries and military commissioners of the cities and counties.
Even if the Party has provided all the necessary conditions and handed over the entire construction of the factories to the Korean People’s Army, the ultimate responsibility for operating them and ensuring that residents truly benefit lies with the local Party and administrative-economic military commissioners.
…
Comrades!
Party secretaries of cities and counties should prioritize trilateral consultations from the design stage to ensure that the factories are constructed in line with the realities of their respective regions. They must also coordinate well with the Korean People’s Army and engage in projects that mobilize local residents in line with party policies.
Constructing production buildings soundly and equipping them with modern facilities, but failing to normalize factory operations due to shortages of raw materials or various other reasons, would be considered a crime before the Party, the nation, and the people, as well as the soldiers and construction workers.
Efforts should be exerted from now on to establish raw material bases and enhance the technological capabilities of regional industrial factories, firmly securing the century-long development of their respective cities and counties based on the principles of self-reliance and scientific technology.
The most crucial aspect is the transformation of regional industrial factories, and this process should be considered a valuable opportunity for soldiers and local residents to cherish and utilize everything in their hometowns and landscapes. It is about creating a living and civilized environment that is not inferior to other places and cultivating a sense of dedication and self-esteem.
In executing the new regional development policy, the functions and roles of local party and government institutions should be strengthened. The process of implementing the local industrial revolution should be transformed into a momentous process that remarkably advances the three revolutions in ideology, technology, and culture.
The primary purpose of launching the regional development revolution from the Party is precisely this.
Starting from today, the responsibility secretaries of cities and counties should show through their own transformation and practices that the main goal of their efforts is to create prosperity in their own lives. Nothing is impossible if their determination to make their efforts abundant and fruitful is firm.
Another important issue that must not be overlooked is ensuring that projects aimed at improving the lives of local residents do not inadvertently cause them a burden. Special attention should be paid, and comprehensive measures should be devised to prevent any negative consequences.
All personnel involved in the lively promotion of the construction of regional industrial factories across cities and counties nationwide should pour their wisdom and energy into responsibly contributing to the Party’s vision for the improvement of people’s lives, creating a proud creation in front of the country, the revolution, and future generations.
Comrades!
In the upcoming years, we will witness the birth of modern regional industrial factories, the first offspring of the “Regional Development 20×10 Policy,” in 20 cities and counties across the nation, including Songchon County. Ten years later, we will be proud to see a solid foundation for the long-awaited regional development laid down, with bustling production bases across the nation and the joyful laughter of the people echoing.
Right here is where the endless rewards and honors of our revolutionary endeavors lie.
After decades of merely talking about it, we have finally begun the honorable and significant task that we have never dared to imagine.
Let us all, in conjunction with rural transformation, radically advance the local economy in our own way. Let’s start the revolution by building the most splendid people’s factories with our own hands, and, using our resources and technology, create an era where the happiness of the people blossoms to the fullest.
Today, commanders from various levels and 124th Division commanders are present at this gathering.
Through you, I appeal to our Korean People’s Army.
Soldiers of the Korean People’s Army!
Fight bravely at the forefront of the struggle to create and protect the happiness of the people and realize the long-cherished wishes of our Party!
The Party, the nation, and the people believe in our army!
The soldiers who embark on this grand struggle today will be remembered forever as the strongest warriors representing the great era.
Let’s fight for the happiness of our great people!
Forward to our sacred struggle!
