Latest news with #RegionalDevelopment20X10Policy
Korea Herald
5 days ago
- Health
- Korea Herald
N. Korean leader Kim Jong-un calls new hospital construction 'great revolution'
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has hailed the construction of a new hospital as a "great revolution" in the country's public health care system, state media reported Tuesday. The comment came during his inspection of a hospital complex under construction in Kangdong County, located on the northeastern outskirts of Pyongyang, on Monday, according to the North's Korean Central News Agency. "The work of building modern public health facilities in cities and counties across the country is a great revolution for developing public healthcare, which has lagged behind other sectors, to surpass them within ten years," the KCNA quoted Kim as saying. During the visit, Kim toured various sections of the facility, including the outpatient ward, operating theater, inpatient ward and underground parking area. He was accompanied by senior officials of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, including Kim Tok-hun, Kim Jae-ryong and O Su-yong, according to the KCNA report. The North Korean leader emphasized the importance of advancing medical equipment and strengthening the country's health care workforce, calling for systematic and scientific training for health and medical workers. This visit follows his attendance at the hospital's groundbreaking ceremony in February. At that time, he ordered to build hospitals in three counties in a pilot project this year and construct 20 hospitals across cities and counties each year, starting in 2026. North Korea launched the Regional Development 20X10 Policy in January 2024, pledging to build 20 modern factories in cities and towns annually to improve the material and cultural lives of the people. Later in August, Kim ordered an expansion of the policy to other areas, including hospitals and science and technology distribution centers. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
16-04-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
N. Korea's Kim marks completion of new apartments in Pyongyang's new town on founder's birthday
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended a ceremony marking the completion of 10,000 new housing units in a newly developed town in Pyongyang on the birth anniversary of his grandfather and national founder Kim Il-sung, the North's state media reported Wednesday. Kim attended the completion ceremony for the third-stage housing section of the newly developed Hwasong area in the capital Tuesday, the day the country celebrated the 113th birth anniversary of its founder, according to the Korean Central News Agency. He appears to have chosen the founder's birthday, known as the biggest national holiday in North Korea, as the date for the completion ceremony to rally public support and further solidify his leadership. Pyongyang's northeastern district of Hwasong, along with Songhwa, has been newly developed under a five-year plan unveiled by Kim in 2021 to build 10,000 housing units in the capital every year. The first batch of 10,000 apartments was completed in Songhwa the following year, followed by 20,000 more units built in the first- and second-stage sections of Hwasong in 2023-2024. The latest completion of the third-stage section brings the total number of new apartments to 40,000 so far, with Kim claiming the completion of the final fourth-stage section, currently under construction, will successfully resolve housing issues in the capital area. The housing construction, along with another major construction plan to develop rural areas, known as the "Regional Development 20X10 Policy," is Kim's pet project aimed at improving the living standards of the people. The KCNA quoted Kim as saying during Tuesday's ceremony that he was "sorry to provide the modern apartment houses only now," adding he was firmly "determined to take upon himself more work for the people." He also cut the inauguration tape and met with workers and senior citizens who will move into the new apartments, with high-profile cadres attending the ceremony alongside him, including Premier Pak Thae-song, the KCNA said. Photos of the ceremony released by the KCNA showed Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui and Choe Ryong-hae, chairman of the North's parliamentary standing committee, also among the attendees, as well as the leader's daughter, known as Ju-ae. Kim's latest appearance marks his fourth visit to the third-stage section of the Hwasong new town, including the groundbreaking ceremony last year and two additional visits in March and April while construction was under way. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
26-02-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
N. Korea likely to ramp up military activities this year: unification ministry
South Korea's unification ministry said Wednesday that North Korea is likely to ramp up its military activities this year, citing the country's designation of 2025 as "a year of training." Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho reported the assessment to a meeting of the parliamentary Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee earlier in the day. Marking the 77th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Army, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the defense ministry on Feb. 8 and designated this year as "a year of training," calling for war preparations as required by modern warfare. "As Kim Jong-un designated this year as a year of training, there's a possibility that the North Korean military will ramp up military activities in the future," the ministry said in a copy of the parliamentary report. Thanks to the economic benefits from North Korea's alignment with Russia, the country's policy implementation capacity has somewhat improved, allowing it to support leader Kim's pet projects, such as the Regional Development 20X10 Policy or the drive to build housing units in Pyongyang, according to the ministry. The general North Korean people are, however, facing economic difficulties, such as limited market activities, limited grain supplies and rising living costs, as a result of the regime's heightened economic controls, the ministry added. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
07-02-2025
- Health
- Korea Herald
N. Korean leader calls regional public health modernization 'top priority'
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has attended a groundbreaking ceremony for a regional hospital, highlighting the wide gap between urban and rural areas and pledging to make the modernization of regional health service a "top priority," state media reported Friday. Kim attended the ceremony Thursday, which marked the start of construction on Kangdong County Hospital and General Service Center under the "Regional Development 20X10 Policy," the Korean Central News Agency said. Kangdong County is a rural area located near Pyongyang. In his speech at the ceremony, Kim emphasized the urgency of improving regional people's cultural living environment to eliminate the "distinctions" between towns and the countryside, saying the ideal goal is to make "the whole country enjoy the same cultural level." The leader called it a "top priority" to modernize and advance the public health service, pledging to develop it into a soil that "cultivates the might of the country's life and into strong roots for regional rejuvenation." He also said building public health facilities and multifunctional bases for cultural life is an urgent task that will accelerate "the simultaneous and balanced development of all fields and regions," unveiling a plan to build 20 hospitals across cities and counties each year, starting in 2026. Kim added that the general service center, which will include movie, sports and cultural facilities, will enlighten the people and nurture them into cultural pioneers and creators. The North Korean leader introduced the Regional Development 20X10 Policy in January last year, pledging to build 20 modern factories in cities and towns annually to improve the material and cultural lives of the people. In August, he ordered an expansion of the policy to other areas, including hospitals and science and technology distribution centers. (Yonhap)
