North Korean General Secretary Kim Jong-un pointed out that North Korea's local economy is in an "extremely pathetic state" and emphasized his commitment to rebuilding it over the next 10 years.
On the 25th, North Korea's Labor Party newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported that an expanded meeting of the Party's Politburo was held for two days until the 24th, and General Secretary Kim Jong Un gave a speech on North Korea's local economy. .
In this regard, General Secretary Kim stated, ``We are not able to satisfactorily provide food and even basic daily necessities to rural residents,'' and pointed out that ``the local economy is in an extremely pathetic state.''
Furthermore, it was decided to establish a committee and mobilize the military in order to advance the "20x10 policy for regional development," which was newly launched this year.
General Secretary Kim claims that this policy will build new factories every year in 20 regions and dramatically improve local living standards within the next 10 years.
Officials from South Korea's Ministry of Unification have expressed the view that the disparity between the capital Pyongyang and the provinces has become even more serious due to the effects of prolonged economic sanctions and measures to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, which have severely restricted movement.