Pyongyang’s post-congress economic push hits raw material wall in Ryanggang

As North Korea’s Ninth Party Congress wrapped up with a renewed emphasis on local development, the cabinet issued its first concrete implementing directive on March 1, ordering all provinces nationwide to begin producing signature regional goods and specialty products, a source in Ryanggang province told Daily NK on Thursday. 

“In accordance with the local development policy set out at the Ninth Party Congress, the cabinet instructed each province to produce region-specific specialty goods and monopoly products,” the source said. “As a result, Ryanggang province issued an urgent directive ordering all cities and counties, led by Samjiyon, to complete detailed plans for this by the end of March.”

The directive is an extension of the “local development 20×10 policy” that Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un has long championed. The core intent, the source explained, is to have each region produce food products, industrial goods, and handicrafts that reflect its distinct character, so as to meet the genuine needs of the North Korean people and enable local industrial factories to become self-sufficient.

Cabinet targets local market demand as benchmark for success

“Behind the cabinet’s decision lies a sense of urgency to soothe a public increasingly disenchanted by the ongoing economic difficulties, while also reasserting the state’s centralized control,” the source said.

According to the source, the cabinet established two primary benchmarks for what qualifies as a monopoly product: whether there is high demand and positive reception among the people, and whether the product actually sells well at local markets. This reflects a strong determination on the part of the central authorities to move away from the formalistic production of goods meant merely for reporting purposes, and to instead measure success strictly by commercial viability.

Going beyond simple production targets, the cabinet also drafted specific guidelines requiring that the variety and taste of products be diverse, and that branding and packaging be modern and visually appealing. North Korean people themselves will be asked to score products directly on these criteria.

Ryanggang officials face impossible timeline amid raw material shortages

“Following this directive, Ryanggang province issued orders requiring that each city and county secure at least one or two products with a monopoly standing, particularly in areas such as processed wild vegetables or handicrafts that reflect the province’s geographic characteristics,” the source said. “Samjiyon is being held up as a model, with the entire province required to report tangible results within the first quarter.”

Officials in administrative departments across the province’s cities and counties are now under intense pressure to both develop monopoly products and produce measurable results before the end of March, a timeline they describe as unreasonably tight.

Those officials have been pulling all-nighters to research and develop specialty products since the directive came down, but are voicing frustration that diversifying product lines and ensuring quality packaging is virtually impossible given the current shortage of raw materials.

The pressure is particularly acute in Samjiyon, where officials from the people’s committee are tasked with serving as the province’s model unit. They have been pulling in technicians from other counties across the province to inspect production lines, creating a flurry of activity, even as they struggle to figure out how to actually deliver results.

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