N. Korea's Kim attends ribbon-cutting event for industrial plant with his daughter, wife

Kim Jong-un attends a groundbreaking ceremony for a hospital in Kangdong County on the outskirts of Pyongyang, as seen in this photo provided by the Korean Central News Agency, North Korea's state mouthpiece, Nov. 20. Yonhap

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the completion of an industrial complex on the outskirts of Pyongyang, accompanied by his daughter and wife, the North's state media said Tuesday.

Kim appeared at the event held the previous day in Kangdong County, where a factory and a multifunctional service facility have been built under his signature regional development policy, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

Photos released by the KCNA showed that Kim's daughter, Ju-ae, and his wife, Ri Sol-ju, also attended the ceremony, marking the first public appearance of the three as a family since their attendance at the dedication event for the Wonsan-Kalma tourist zone in June.

Also notable was the appearance of Ju-ae, widely seen as Kim's potential successor, at a public event related to the economy and people's livelihoods, compared with her previous appearances that have largely been at military-related events.

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un, second from left, looking around a community service center at a recently completed industrial plant in Kangdong County on the outskirts of Pyongyang, accompanied by his daughter, Ju-ae, left, and other officials in this photo provided by the Korean Central News Agency, North Korea's state mouthpiece, Tuesday. Yonhap

Kim cut the ribbon and toured the food processing plant and the community service complex, expressing satisfaction with the completion of the construction, the KCNA said.

Kim said that efforts to take a leap forward in regional development and deliver the "precious substance of prosperity and civilization" to the people is a "sacred undertaking" that his party must push for with consistency and on an unconditional basis, according to the state media.

He also highlighted that the true value of a regional industrial revolution should be proven by "transforming the ideological consciousness" of officials and workers.

North Korea is pushing for a regional development initiative aimed at narrowing the gap between urban and rural areas under Kim's directives. Kim visited the same county in February to attend a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a hospital and a multipurpose service facility, in what was the first such project under the development plans.

The hospital complex was completed in November.

During last week's plenary session of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, the North selected 20 cities and counties for construction projects under the local development initiative.