Kim Holds Back‑to‑Back Openings in Nampho and Ryonggang Kim Jong‑un attended a ceremony in the western port city of Nampho on 29 December 2025 to open a new hospital and light‑industry factories, following a similar inauguration in Ryonggang County the previous day that also featured a hospital and regional‑industry factories [1]. State media highlighted the events as milestones in the year‑end push to finish construction projects across twenty cities and counties [1]. KCNA released a photo of Kim touring the Ryonggang County Hospital the day after the ceremony [1].

Inaugurations Mark Completion of 2025 Twenty‑Site Goal The Nampho and Ryonggang openings satisfy the 2025 target to complete model hospitals, leisure complexes, and regional‑industry factories in twenty locations, a benchmark set by Kim’s regional development policy announced in January 2024 [1]. The policy envisions building modern factories in twenty cities and counties each year for a decade to raise regional living standards [1]. Kim explicitly linked the ceremonies to the successful conclusion of this annual construction plan [1].

Policy Originates From 2024 Regional Development Initiative Kim unveiled the regional‑development framework in January 2024, aiming to construct modern factories in twenty cities and counties annually over ten years [1]. The plan seeks to decentralize industrial growth and improve healthcare access in provincial areas [1]. Officials described the 2025 completions as the first full realization of the policy’s year‑end objectives [1].

Future Expansion Targets Twenty Hospitals Annually From 2026 In February 2025, North Korean authorities announced a pilot program to build hospitals in three counties that year, with a schedule to expand to twenty hospitals per year beginning in 2026 [1]. The pilot was intended to test construction models before scaling up the nationwide rollout [1]. The recent hospital openings serve as proof‑of‑concept for the larger expansion timetable [1].

State Media Frames Projects as Socialist Construction Milestones KCNA portrayed the dual ceremonies as ushering “a new phase in the comprehensive development of socialist construction,” emphasizing the ideological significance of the infrastructure [1]. The agency’s coverage focused on the symbolic value of improving regional welfare through state‑led projects [1]. Photos and captions highlighted Kim’s personal involvement, reinforcing the leadership’s commitment to the policy [1].