Pyongyang: North Korea has incorporated a region south of a city that once epitomized inter-Korean collaboration into its 10-year regional development strategy, led by Kim Jong-un, as reported by state media on Saturday.

According to Yonhap News Agency, a groundbreaking event took place in the southernmost Panmun Zone the previous day, marking the area's inclusion in the Regional Development 20X10 initiative, as reported by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Since 2024, North Korea has pursued a development agenda focusing on the establishment of modern industrial facilities in 20 cities and counties annually, with the objective of bridging the urban-rural divide over the next decade.

The Panmun Zone, named after the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjom, is situated south of Kaesong, which previously housed the Kaesong Industrial Complex, a joint venture that was closed in 2016 amid tensions over the North's nuclear and missile activities. The KCNA also noted that similar commencement ceremonies occurred in several other regions on the same day, highlighting that over 120 modern factories have been constructed throughout the country in the past two years.