This photo, published by the Korean Central News Agency, Feb. 7, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attending a groundbreaking ceremony for a regional hospital in Kangdong County. Yonhap

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has attended a groundbreaking ceremony for a regional hospital, highlighting the wide gap between urban and rural areas and pledging to make the modernization of regional health service a "top priority," state media reported Friday.

Kim attended the ceremony Thursday, which marked the start of construction on Kangdong County Hospital and General Service Center under the "Regional Development 20X10 Policy," the Korean Central News Agency said.

Kangdong County is a rural area located near Pyongyang.

In his speech at the ceremony, Kim emphasized the urgency of improving regional people's cultural living environment to eliminate the "distinctions" between towns and the countryside, saying the ideal goal is to make "the whole country enjoy the same cultural level."

The leader called it a "top priority" to modernize and advance the public health service, pledging to develop it into a soil that "cultivates the might of the country's life and into strong roots for regional rejuvenation."

He also said building public health facilities and multifunctional bases for cultural life is an urgent task that will accelerate "the simultaneous and balanced development of all fields and regions," unveiling a plan to build 20 hospitals across cities and counties each year, starting in 2026.

Kim added that the general service center, which will include movie, sports and cultural facilities, will enlighten the people and nurture them into cultural pioneers and creators.

North Korea has been pushing for the Regional Development 20X10 Policy since last year, aiming to build 20 modern factories in cities and towns annually for a 10-year period to improve the material and cultural lives of the people. In August, Kim ordered an expansion of the policy to other areas, including hospitals and science and technology distribution centers.

Kim In-ae, deputy spokesperson at South Korea's unification ministry, explained that while North Korea focused on factories for groceries, consumer goods and other essentials last year, it began this year with the construction of facilities related to public health care and other amenities.

In his speech, Kim "acknowledged difficulties in hospital construction, citing (challenges related to) medical equipment, tools, technology, materials and finances," she said in response to skepticism about the North Korean leader's construction ambitions in the sanctions-laden country.

In March 2020, North Korea reported that Kim attended a groundbreaking ceremony for a general hospital in Pyongyang and ordered its completion by October that year, but no reports about its completion have been published. (Yonhap)