North Korea has announced the 21 counties selected for construction of new light industry factories, hospitals and “leisure complexes” under the third year of leader Kim Jong Un’s “20x10” rural development project.

NK Pro analysis has found that over half of the counties host important military and weapon production bases, while only two appear to fit Kim’s seemingly abandoned criteria of prioritizing the “most backward” and remote areas.

The 20x10 project started in 2024 with a plan to mobilize the country’s vast ranks of military conscripts to “transform” the “backward” economy by building two