20x10 Policy

The Regional Development 20×10 Policy () is a regional development program of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea announced in January 2024 under the leadership of Kim Jong Un. It aims to build modern industrial factories in 20 cities and counties per year over a 10-year period with the stated goal of improving living standards outside Pyongyang and reducing disparities between regions.

Background

Regional inequality has been a recurring issue in North Korea since the economic crises of the 1990s, with resources disproportionately concentrated in Pyongyang and selected provincial centers. At the Eighth Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea in 2021, Kim Jong Un signaled a new emphasis on balanced regional growth, with Kimhwa County designated as a pilot site.

The "20×10" slogan was later adopted to encapsulate the nationwide expansion of this policy: 20 localities per year for 10 years, symbolizing both scale and long-term commitment.

Objectives

Analysts and state media identify the main objectives of the 20×10 Policy as:

• industrial modernisation through the construction of modern regional-industry factories producing food, clothing, paper, and other daily necessities,
• balanced development to narrow the gap between Pyongyang and rural provinces,
• integration of local factories with research and educational institutions,
• self-sufficiency by reducing reliance on imports under sanctions, and
• strengthening political legitimacy through visible economic projects.

Implementation

The policy was formally launched at the Tenth Session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly in January 2024.

According to 38 North, implementation included the reorganisation of a central committee mechanism for regional industrial modernisation, mobilisation of the Workers' Party and the Korean People's Army (including a dedicated construction regiment), and the selection of the first 20 localities across Kangwon, South Pyongan, and North Hwanghae provinces.

By early 2025, DPRK media claimed the completion of multiple facilities in the first batch of counties, including regional-industry factories which typically consists of: a foodstuffs factory, a garment factory, and a daily-necessities factory.

1. A central committee mechanism for regional industrial modernization was reorganized to oversee the plan.
2. The Workers' Party and Korean People's Army were mobilised to provide labour, materials, and logistics (including creating a dedicated construction regiment).
3. The first 20 localities, including counties in Kangwon, South Pyongan, and North Hwanghae provinces, began factory construction in 2024.

List of projects under the 20×10 Policy

2024 (First year)

2025 (Second year)

2026 (Third year)

Reception

State media described the policy as a “historic turning point” in socialism, promising a “great transformation” in people’s material and cultural life.

External analysts have raised concerns regarding feasibility (sustaining operations under sanctions), centralisation of decision-making in Pyongyang, selection of strategically significant counties over poorer areas, and the long-term sustainability of new factories.

According to 38 North, the program, if sustained, could represent one of the most ambitious regional development drives since the Chollima Movement of the 1950s.

References