North Korean leader Kim Jong-un promoted a 10-year regional factory drive at an Oct. 19 clothing and footwear exhibition, casting local production as a way to narrow geographic disparities.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said more than 270 clothing, footwear and bag producers supplied the 2026 National Garment and Footwear Exhibition, including newly built city and county garment factories. The display held more than 70,700 garments and more than 170,000 pairs of shoes, the agency said.
Kim said products from regional plants now compete with goods from central factories, according to KCNA. He presented the display as support for his party's goal of reducing disparities between central and local areas and between cities and rural communities.
Kim proposed the policy in January 2024, setting a target of building regional industry factories in 20 locations each year for 10 years. His policy speech identified regional residents as the intended beneficiaries and committed party funding, labor and materials to the plan. He cited factories in Kimhwa County as a model.
At the exhibition, Kim called for better product design across light industry, KCNA said. He separately urged manufacturers to maintain consistent quality in schoolchildren's uniforms, bags and shoes.
