김정은, 방중 후 신의주 일대 공장 찾아<br /><br /> Kim Jong-un visited a number of sites in Sindo-gun and Sinuiju... areas near the North Korean border with China.<br />This follows his visit to Beijing in June,.... where the regime's leader toured a number of major industrial facilities.<br />For more on the significance of the inspections, we turn to our Kan Hyeong-woo. <br /> North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made his first public appearances after his trip to Beijing.<br />He visited Sindo-gun County and Sinuiju in North Korea's northeastern Pyonganbuk-do Province,... near the border with China.<br /><br /> According to the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency ,Kim looked around a large-scale reed farm in Sindo-gun County and made on-site inspections of two textile plants... and a cosmetics factory in Sinuiju.<br /> It's reported that Kim expressed dissatisfaction about the plants and the workers.<br />He said that they're not living up to Sinuiju's (QUOTE UNQUOTE)"proud tradition" and urged them to increase productivity.<br />His constant message in all three places he visited was "modernization."<br /><br /> "So, mass production is what North Korea considers as 'modernization'. But you need to first check the facilities of old factories in North Korea to modernize. In other words, Kim Jong-un is going to put all-out efforts into economic development." <br /><br /> There's also speculation that Kim Jong-un's visit can be interpreted as a move aimed at developing economic ties with China... as his recent on-site inspections follow his visit to Beijing in June and these areas all share borders with China.<br /> His tour included a stop at Hwangkumpyong, an island where the North and China had agreed to develop a special economic zone back in 2011 before the project was stalled following the execution of Kim's uncle Jang Song-thaek in 2013. <br /> China has been implementing the United Nations' sanctions on North Korea, but after the North Korea-U.S. summit and Kim's visit to China, Beijing recently raised the need to ease sanctions.<br />Kan Hyeong-woo, Arirang News <br />
