2017 – North Korea conducts its last nuclear test at the Punggye‑ri site in Kilju County, a historic milestone that the regime later cites while showcasing new regional factories in the same area [5].

2024 – Kim Jong‑un launches the “Regional Development 20X10” policy, pledging to build modern factories in 20 cities and counties each year for a decade to narrow the urban‑rural gap [1][2].

Feb 2025 – The regime announces a pilot plan to build hospitals in three counties this year and to construct 20 modern hospitals annually starting in 2026, framing health infrastructure as a core pillar of the regional‑development drive [3].

Dec 3 2025 – Kim Jong‑un inspects regional‑industrial factories in Sinyang and Puk‑chang counties, calling the program a “gigantic revolution” that will lay the material and technical foundations for independent local development [11][12].

Dec 13 2025 – Kim inaugurates the Kusong City Hospital, calling it “another precious creation” and declaring 2025 the “first year of the public health revolution” while pledging to build modern hospitals in 20 cities and counties next year [10].

Dec 15 2025 – Kim cuts the ribbon on an industrial complex in Kangdong County with his daughter Ju‑ae and wife Ri Sol‑ju, describing the project as a “sacred undertaking” that the Party must pursue unconditionally to deliver “the precious substance of prosperity and civilization” [8][9].

Dec 18 2025 – Kim attends the opening of new factories in Jangyon County, lauds self‑reliance and declares that “there will be no unachievable ideal” as the regime strives toward a socialist paradise [7].

Dec 19 2025 – At midnight, Kim pays his highest tribute to late leader Kim Jong‑il at the Kumsusan Palace, marking the 14th anniversary of his death and urging all‑out effort to finish Workers’ Party projects before the ninth Party congress slated for early 2026 [6].

Dec 23 2025 – North Korean officials accelerate regional factory openings, inaugurating a light‑industry plant in Kilju County near the historic nuclear test site, with propaganda chief Ri Il‑hwan emphasizing the expansion of “modern light‑industry factories” ahead of the upcoming Party congress [5].

Dec 28 2025 – Kim cuts the ribbon on the Unsan County paper mill, calling it a “model experience” for other provinces and highlighting the drive to narrow living‑standard gaps between Pyongyang and the regions before the ninth Party congress [4].

Dec 29 2025 – Kim attends ceremonies in Ryong‑gang County and Nampho, inaugurating a hospital and light‑industry factories and stating that the projects “successfully conclude the construction of model hospitals and leisure complexes” in the 20‑site year‑end goal [3].

Jan 29 2026 – Kim breaks ground in Unnyul County, personally digging the first spadeful of earth and praising soldiers as “creators of the people’s wellbeing,” signaling a rally of support ahead of a key Party congress expected later that month [2].

Feb 1 2026 – Premier Pak Thae‑song declares the “Regional Development 20X10” policy the state’s highest priority at a groundbreaking ceremony in Pyongwon County, urging officials to show “patriotic strength and enthusiasm” and framing the year as “a new year of victory for the regional revolution” [1].

Feb 2026 (expected) – North Korea prepares to hold a key Workers’ Party congress, where a new development plan is anticipated to be unveiled, building on the decade‑long regional‑development program and the recent wave of factory and hospital inaugurations [1][6].