'Must be completed within the period decided by the party central'

Kim also inspects housing complex in Tongchon County, Gangwon Province

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspects the construction of a naval base on the East Sea coast on Wednesday, KCNA reported Thursday. [Yonhap]
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspects the construction of a naval base on the East Sea coast on Wednesday, KCNA reported Thursday. [Yonhap]

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the construction site of a naval base on the East Sea coast, calling it "a critically important core project directly linked to the security of our state and the defense of maritime sovereignty" and demanding it "must unconditionally be completed within the period decided by the party central, at the level of quality the party central requires."

KCNA reported Thursday that Kim inspected Wednesday "the construction of an important naval base on the East Sea coast, which is being pursued in accordance with decisions made at the 9th Party Congress and the 2nd Plenary Meeting of the 9th Central Committee."

Senior officials including Pak Jong-chon, vice chairman of the Party Central Military Commission, and Jo Yong-won, party secretary, accompanied Kim on the visit.

Kim issued "guidelines on the deployment of strategic elements for thoroughly realizing the modernization, multifunctionalization and fortification of the base," and directed key measures to accelerate the naval port's construction, including strengthening construction command and building capacity, KCNA said.

On the same day, Kim also inspected a completed housing complex of more than 1,000 units in Tongchon County, Gangwon Province, where the naval base is under construction.

KCNA said Kim surveyed the overall appearance of the housing complex, completed in just over two months, and said "the work of eliminating the urban-rural gap and firmly establishing an environment of simultaneous and balanced development across the country is practiced and proven through construction — the main domain of our revolution."

However, while praising the achievements of the "Local Development 20×10" policy, Kim said "various abuses are still appearing" and pointed to problems that emerged during the construction process.

Kim criticized officials for failing to "break free from old habits despite repeated warnings," saying they had not rooted out "unscientific formalism and impractical style-chasing in local construction projects, including rural housing construction."


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