North Korea’s regional development policy was initiated under Kim Jong Un’s leadership in 2024 as a means of alleviating the severe economic hardships and growing sense of relative deprivation experienced by local residents due to border closures during the pandemic. In 2025, the policy was significantly expanded under the banner of the “20×10 Regional Development Policy.” Large-scale infrastructure projects—including factories, hospitals, fish farms, greenhouses, and facilities for public health, cultural activities, and grain management—are currently underway in various regions. However, the policy’s sustainability is increasingly being called into question due to a severe shortage of resources, low levels of regional self-sufficiency, and the reliance on mass mobilization-based construction methods.

North Korea’s regional development policy is likely to fail as it faces serious sustainability challenges over the next two to three years, due to a lack of resources and a fundamentally anti-market policy orientation. When the 9th Party Congress, closer ties with Russia, and the so-called “bromance” between Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump begin to reveal their limitations, calls for reform and opening may intensify even within North Korea itself.

This article is an English Summary of Asan Issue Brief (2025-11).

(‘북한의 ‘지방발전 20×10 정책’ 평가: 지난 1년의 성과와 한계, 그리고 그 시사점’)