What did Kim Jong-un see at North Korea’s 2026 National Garment and Footwear Exhibition?

Kim Jong-un toured clothing and footwear produced at light-industry factories across North Korea. The exhibition featured more than 70,700 clothing items in over 30 types and more than 170,000 pairs of shoes in over 60 kinds.

Why does Kim Jong-un promote North Korea’s regional development policy?

Kim said the policy is intended to eliminate differences between central and local areas and between urban and rural areas while achieving simultaneous and balanced development across the country. The policy includes building modern factories in 20 cities and counties annually for a decade.

When did Kim Jong-un introduce North Korea’s regional factory-building policy, and what does it require?

Kim unveiled the policy in 2024. It calls for modern factories to be built in 20 cities and counties each year over a 10-year period to improve living conditions in regional areas.

N. Korea's Kim tours light industry expo, touts regional policy achievements

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Summary

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un toured the 2026 National Garment and Footwear Exhibition in Pyongyang the previous day, praising progress in light industry under his regional development policy. The exhibition displayed products made at factories across the country, and Kim said they demonstrated the policy’s validity in narrowing central-local and urban-rural gaps. Kim’s wife, Ri Sol-ju, and daughter, Ju-ae, accompanied him.

Key Facts

The exhibition displayed more than 70,700 clothing items across over 30 types.
More than 170,000 pairs of shoes across over 60 kinds were displayed at the exhibition.
Kim unveiled a policy in 2024 to build modern factories in 20 cities and counties each year for 10 years.
KCNA reported that Kim expressed satisfaction with the rapid and substantial development shown by the displayed light-industry products.

By Yonhap

Published Oct 20, 2026 9:54 am KST

North's leader Kim Jong-un , right, and his daughter, Ju-ae, left, visit the 2026 National Garment and Footwear Exhibition, Monday, in this photo released by Korean Central News Agency the following day. Yonhap

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has visited a garment and footwear exhibition, highlighting achievements in light industry production under his signature regional development policy, state media reported Tuesday.

Kim toured the 2026 National Garment and Footwear Exhibition the previous day and expressed satisfaction that products on display showed "rapid and substantial" development in light industry, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

According to photos published by the state media, Kim was accompanied on the tour by his daughter, Ju-ae, and his wife, Ri Sol-ju.

On display were more than 70,700 items of clothing of over 30 types and more than 170,000 pairs of shoes of over 60 kinds, produced at light industry factories across the nation under Kim's regional development policy, according to the report.

"This is a clear demonstration of the validity and vitality of the Party's policy aimed at eliminating the differences between the central and local areas and between urban and rural areas and achieving simultaneous and balanced development of the whole country," the North's leader was quoted as saying by the KCNA.

In 2024, Kim unveiled a policy to build modern factories in 20 cities and counties each year over a 10-year period to improve the living conditions of people in regional areas.

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