Assessing North Korea’s “20×10” Regional Development Progress

The first year of Kim Jong Un’s 20×10 policy for regional development, a country-wide economic initiative aimed at building “modernized factories” in 20 cities over the next 10 years, came to a close in February 2025. Join the 38 North team to discuss research and findings from state media and satellite imagery on the 20×10 policy thus far, including how the project differs from North Korea’s other economic initiatives, the country’s motives at play, and what future stages of the policy could look like.