The 20×10 Project Begins: Songchon and Yonthan

Less than a month after North Korean state media conveyed Kim Jong Un’s ambitious 20×10 regional development plan, residents of Yonthan, North Hwanghae province—one of the first construction sites—were visited by then-Premier Kim Tok Hun to survey initial progress. 

Despite the importance of the plan, the premier’s visit received relatively muted coverage in state media—it was featured on the bottom of the front page Rodong Sinmun and ignored by state television. Two weeks later, on February 28, 2024, Kim Jong Un traveled to Songchon, South Hamgyong province, to break ground on a factory site. This marked the official beginning of the 20×10 regional development plan. Over the following days, groundbreakings were held at 19 additional sites throughout the country, though all without the presence of Kim Jong Un. 

In this installment of our series examining implementation progress of the 20×10 initiative, we look at work at  Songchon and Yonthan—the first cities under this plan to be featured in state media and the first to be visited by Kim Jong Un.  

With the goal of the 20×10 initiative to create sustainable manufacturing for cities across the country, it remains to be seen how and if this goal is realized in the mid- to long-term. The development of these two cities in particular, where industrial centers have been built over agricultural areas, raises serious questions about the sustainability of these factories in the long run based on local inputs and resources.   

Songchon 

Kim Jong Un’s attendance at Sonchon’s groundbreaking elevated the site to the highest profile of all 20 of the first year’s projects. Kim returned on two occasions: once to observe construction progress and again for the inauguration. 

The three new factories built are meant to produce foodstuffs, clothing and daily necessities, a common phrase used in North Korea to encompass basic products and household goods. These new factories were constructed over what used to be the Songchon Vegetable Greenhouse, a 600-square meter farm with 20 greenhouses. In 2015, Songchon Vegetable Greenhouse was featured in a Korean Central Television report that showed the farm was used to grow vegetables and raise pigs.[1]

In preparation for the groundbreaking, approximately two-thirds of the farm site was cleared. Television images showed six greenhouses remained in the general area after the initial demolition, although they would also be razed by the time the new factories opened a year later. 

Like the other 20×10 projects, soldiers were charged with the construction. The Korean People’s Army specifically formed the 124th regiment to implement the regional development plan. During the ceremony, Kim handed over the regimental colors. 

As part of a speech at the construction site, Kim said that North Korea’s regions lagged in development when compared to Pyongyang and pledged that the project would remove this “age-old backwardness.” This statement was in line with others he has previously made acknowledging the “centuries-old backwardness” of the regions in comparison with the capital city, in terms of their housing and industrial development. 

Kim Jong Un returned to Songchon in November 2024 to evaluate the almost-complete project. State media reported Kim’s satisfaction with the work carried out. At that time, state media reported that machinery had already been installed in at least one of the three factories.  

Exactly a month later, on December 20, Kim returned to Songchon for the third time to inaugurate the three factories: the Songchon Foodstuff Factory, the Songchon Clothing Factory, and the Songchon Daily Necessities Factory. 

State television showed Kim wearing a white lab coat and touring the food factory, watching cooking oil and snacks being produced. In the daily necessities factory, he observed soap production.   

Yonthan 

Yonthan is a small county seat between Pyongyang and Kaesong and became one of the first locations disclosed by state media as a 20×10 initiative site. 

Early signs of work appeared in February 2024, when temporary housing for workers was erected on farmland on the edge of the town. A few days later, Kim Tok Hun visited to inspect preparations for the work. During his visit, state media reported that Kim emphasized how local officials need to procure raw materials for the construction and, later, for operation of the factories. 

Despite what may have been daunting instructions on procurement, construction of three factories began in March that year and progressed rapidly. As with other factories built under the 20×10 initiative in 2024, it appears operations began before the opening ceremonies took place. State media coverage of the opening events showed local residents looking around factories that already had a range of goods on display, apparently produced in the new factories. 

In common with other sites constructed in the first year, the new factories at Yonthan produce foodstuffs, clothing and daily necessities. 

Conclusion 

Kim Jong Un’s high-profile announcement of the plan and his three visits to the Songchon site indicate that he considers the 20×10 initiative a major domestic priority—and in turn, it is a major priority for the Workers’ Party and regional officials. The focus on sourcing and supply of raw materials is key if the factories are not to be white elephants. Only time will tell if the local officials and North Korean domestic industry are up to the task of supplying what is needed. 

The destruction of agricultural land to build the new industrial sites could pose challenges to the supply of inputs for the factories, particularly those producing foodstuffs. In most regional North Korean cities, any empty area is used as farmland, so in most cases, towns need to choose between giving up agricultural land or demolishing existing infrastructure. 

This contrasts with the rural housing project, which runs parallel to the 20×10 initiative, in which existing housing is typically demolished and new housing is built in its place, preserving agricultural land. 

In the next installment of this series, we will look more closely at the land that was repurposed to help the 20×10 initiative reach the end of its first year.  

1. [1]

   “새싹은 이렇게 움터난다 — 평안남도 성천군 남새온실을 찾아서—”, Korean Central Television, March 4, 2015.