On July 11th, Eun-ju Choi, a Research Fellow at Sejong Institute gave a presentation on "North Korea's Policy Achievements and Limitations in the First Half of 2023: Focusing on the Outcome of the Eighth Plenum of the Tenth Plenary Session of the Party Central Committee" at the 14th Sejong Institute Colloquium.
The discussion was moderated by Seong Chang Cheong, Director of the Center for Korean Peninsula Strategy.
The meeting noted the DPRK's assessment of whether the economic recovery seen in 2023 will continue, its evaluation of its external relations with Russia and China, and follow-up discussions on its policy toward South Korea, its plans for the military sector, and whether it will announce its plans. It was noted that while the first half of 2024 was quite active in the military and external affairs sectors, this session was limited to domestic issues, including the economy and other internal affairs.
Overall, North Korea said it is continuing its economic performance in 2023 despite the lack of significant improvement in internal and external conditions, focusing on its newly launched "Provincial Development 20X10" policy, key industries, and agriculture sectors.
The 20x10 Regional Development Policy aims to develop the local economy distinctively, secure competitiveness, eliminate regional imbalances through the comprehensive and balanced development of local industries, and improve the basic living standards of all residents in the country within the next 10 years, and to select two counties per province each year to promote the modernization of factories. To this end, the Provincial Industrial and Construction Guidance Department under the Party's Organizational Guidance Department will be set up separately, and the 20x10 Regional Development Policy Emergency Promotion Committee has been organized to follow development plans.
Regarding basic industries, the performance of the first half of the year was specifically disclosed in the Rodong Sinmun(Rodong Newspaper), and it was assessed that the metal, chemical, and power industries included in the 12 important factors carried out the first half plan. In the case of agriculture, it was disclosed that the irrigation system maintenance project, agricultural supply project, and wheat and barley harvesting project scheduled for the first half of the year were carried out as planned, and it was determined that the agricultural preparations were complete considering trade trends.
In addition to the first-half performance report, a separate discussion was held on the development of the judicial system, and the role of the Cabinet emphasized the improvement of business attitudes and capacity building of executives, including enhancing business control and establishing discipline in the People's Economic Plan.