20x10 Policy

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.^[3] 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.^[1][4]

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.^[2]

Analysts and state media identify the main objectives of the 20×10 Policy as:^[1][3][2]

• 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.

The policy was formally launched at the Tenth Session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly in January 2024.^[5][3]

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.^[1][6][7]

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.^[2][8]

1. A central committee mechanism for regional industrial modernization was reorganized to oversee the plan.^[1]
2. The Workers' Party and Korean People's Army were mobilised to provide labour, materials, and logistics (including creating a dedicated construction regiment).^[6]
3. The first 20 localities, including counties in Kangwon, South Pyongan, and North Hwanghae provinces, began factory construction in 2024.^[7]

State media described the policy as a “historic turning point” in socialism, promising a “great transformation” in people’s material and cultural life.^[2]

External analysts have raised concerns regarding feasibility (sustaining operations under sanctions), centralisation of decision-making in Pyongyang,^[77] selection of strategically significant counties over poorer areas,^[78] and the long-term sustainability of new factories.^[1]

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.^[2]