Everyone knows that North Korea is a country closed to prying eyes. Quite rarely, we get the opportunity to look behind the Iron Curtain to find out how its citizens really live. But today there is such an opportunity!
Thanks to these photos, you can learn a little more about the young generation of North Korea - how local children live, how they relax and have fun, how they study and how they smile.
(26 photos total)
1. North Korean children after a snowfall on the banks of the Yalu River, in the North Korean Sakchu District, December 17, 2014. The picture was taken from the territory of China on the Yalu River.
6. North Korean schoolchildren during a taekwondo wrestling class in the Moranbong district of Pyongyang on July 31, 2014. The capital is hot and humid in summer, and one of the most popular holiday destinations is Mount Moranbong, located just a short walk from the famous Kim Il Sung Square. The mountain is famous for its shady walking paths, picturesque views of the city and green lawns.
7. North Korean schoolchildren play musical instruments on Moranbong on July 31, 2014 in Pyongyang.
8. Primary school students help repair potholes on a rural road in North Hamgyong province.
9. North Korean children travel along the Yalu River to Sinuiju, opposite the Chinese border city of Dandong, May 15, 2013.
10. A North Korean boy skates on ice on the Yalu River on the border with China near the North Korean city of Hyesan on December 1, 2008.
12. North Korean female students carry weapons during a parade to mark the 60th anniversary of the ceasefire in the 1950-1953 Korean War at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, July 27, 2013.
13. Workers and young people visit Munsu Entertainment Center during the heat wave in Pyongyang on August 8, 2014.
14. North Korean students use colored cardboard to form a painting as a backdrop during the massive gymnastic and artistic performance "Arirang" in Pyongyang on July 26, 2013.
16. North Korean children wave to people on a Chinese tourist boat on the banks of the Yalu River near Chongsong, North Korea, opposite the Chinese border city of Dandong, May 8, 2011.
17. A boy with a shovel in a corn field in an area hit by a flood and typhoon in South Hwanghae province September 29, 2011.
18. Kim Jong-un attends Mangyongdae Revolutionary School on the occasion of the 68th anniversary of the founding of the Korean Children's Union.
20. North Korean children and their parents wave to Chinese residents during Children's Day celebrations on the Yalu River near the North Korean city of Sinuiju, opposite the Chinese border city of Dandong, June 1, 2011.
22. North Korean schoolchildren in front of the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the embalmed bodies of North Korea's founder Kim Il Sung and his son Kim Jong-in are, in Pyongyang on July 25, 2013.
When faced with the statistics of marriages and divorces from different countries, we see not very pleasant pictures and numbers. Divorce is becoming a common occurrence even in countries where the family is strict and where they are very careful about family and kinship ties.
The reason for this situation is a deviation from traditions and customs, which many years ago were of great importance for every person. Many modern families have long forgotten what was once dear to their ancestors.
Among this not very pleasant information that family values go into the distant past, one can set the example of North Korea, which has achieved incredible success in its development, and family values have played a big role in this.
In North Korea, as in other countries, ancient traditions were passed down from one generation to the next, but over the years they have been preserved and have not changed at all. Thanks to family values, which are very reverently protected here, North Korea has preserved its culture.
Marriage is a union of two people who are ready to create a new family, raise children so that they can achieve a lot in their lives. This is a great responsibility that those who are going to marry should first of all think about.
Everyone thinks that this will be the only marriage for a lifetime, but more often than not, everything happens quite the opposite, and nowadays few can boast that they had one single and happy marriage in their life.
In North Korea, marriage is really taken seriously and families are created once and for all. To do this, both young people carefully consider the moment of the official marriage. There are very few divorces in the country, which puts North Korea in one of the first places among the many countries that are cited in statistics. Divorce in North Korea is tantamount to a global catastrophe that could harm the entire family.
In order to divorce, you need a really serious reason, because it can cause irreparable damage to the career of one of the spouses or both at once. In addition, it is difficult for a divorced man to marry again, and there is nothing to say about a divorced woman. People who could not keep their family together will not be able to move further up the career ladder and in a second marriage it is difficult to trust them.
The situation is even worse in North Korea with adultery. Having a mistress or lover on the side is a criminal offense that can imprison both perpetrators for a long time, which also does not give advantages to either one or the other.
At present, of course, this law is not in force, but still the spouses remain faithful to each other, for personal reasons of honor and dignity. Adultery is something of a kind of fantasy and no one even thinks that you can have any kind of relationship on the side.
The appearance of a child in a family is a holiday, and in North Korean families children are of particular importance, because they will have to help their parents in the future in old age. Children live in the same house with their parents until they have their own families. However, in any case, one of the older children still remains in the parents' house, who will have to take care of the parents until their very old age.
Children in North Korea are very strict about raising children, because how well a child is raised will determine whether he becomes a worthy citizen of his country and whether he can contribute to the life of society. The irresponsible and negligent attitude of parents towards raising children is condemned by the whole society.
Children must obey, respect and care for their parents. In addition, every child is brought up in the love of work. All Koreans are very hardworking and they are not afraid of even the hardest work, they work very hard and as a result, we see a high and rapid development of the country's economy.
Some European countries, in which divorces are very frequent, can be attributed to comparison, as a result of which there are a large number of incomplete families. In this case, the government spends a lot of money in order to provide benefits to single-parent families, single women with children. Although all these funds could be directed to the development of the economy.
In North Korea, due to the minimum number of divorces and hardworking full families, the government can afford to raise the level of the economy, because people are ready to work and earn a living. Children, leaving the parental home, fully support themselves and their own family, not counting on the help of their parents, although parents are always ready to lend a helping hand in difficult moments of life. Also, it makes no sense to ask the government for help when a perfectly healthy and capable person can fully support himself.
In addition, in North Korea, there is no need for the existence of nursing homes, which also require additional costs from the government. There is absolutely no need to open such establishments in a country where children support their elderly parents and fully provide for them.
With regard to education, parents in North Korea decide this issue in advance, even before the moment the child reaches the age when it will be necessary to acquire knowledge. Of course, children's opinions matter, but more often than not, they agree with their parents' wise decisions about which profession is best to get.
Specialists with complete and higher education will always be needed, and therefore each of the parents tries to do everything possible to ensure that the child receives the best education.
This attitude towards the family and the well-being of the country will help to survive any crisis, which will force most countries to sharply revise all expenses. The country will have enough budget to help its citizens get through difficult times.
Everyone knows that North Korea is a country closed to prying eyes. Quite rarely, we get the opportunity to look behind the Iron Curtain to find out how its citizens really live. But today there is such an opportunity!
Thanks to these photos, you can learn a little more about the young generation of North Korea - how local children live, how they relax and have fun, how they study and how they smile.
1. North Korean children after a snowfall on the banks of the Yalu River, in the North Korean Sakchu District, December 17, 2014. The picture was taken from the territory of China on the Yalu River.
2. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visits one of the orphanages in Pyongyang for the New Year.
3. Kim Jong-un poses with children at the orphanage on the first day of the new year.
4.
5. North Koreans celebrate the Lunar New Year, February 19, 2015.
6. North Korean schoolchildren during a taekwondo wrestling class in the Moranbong district of Pyongyang on July 31, 2014. The capital is hot and humid in summer, and one of the most popular holiday destinations is Mount Moranbong, located just a short walk from the famous Kim Il Sung Square. The mountain is famous for its shady walking paths, picturesque views of the city and green lawns.
7. North Korean schoolchildren play musical instruments on Moranbong on July 31, 2014 in Pyongyang.
8. Primary school students help repair potholes on a rural road in North Hamgyong province.
9. North Korean children travel along the Yalu River to Sinuiju, opposite the Chinese border city of Dandong, May 15, 2013.
10. A North Korean boy skates on ice on the Yalu River on the border with China near the North Korean city of Hyesan on December 1, 2008.
11. The new school year 2015-2016 began in the DPRK with proper ceremonies in schools.
12. North Korean female students carry weapons during a parade to mark the 60th anniversary of the ceasefire in the 1950-1953 Korean War at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, July 27, 2013.
13. Workers and young people visit Munsu Entertainment Center during the heat wave in Pyongyang on August 8, 2014.
14. North Korean students use colored cardboard to form a painting as a backdrop during the massive gymnastic and artistic performance "Arirang" in Pyongyang on July 26, 2013.
15. The beginning of the school year.
16. North Korean children wave to people on a Chinese tourist boat on the banks of the Yalu River near Chongsong, North Korea, opposite the Chinese border city of Dandong, May 8, 2011.
17. A boy with a shovel in a corn field in an area hit by a flood and typhoon in South Hwanghae province September 29, 2011.
18. Kim Jong-un attends Mangyongdae Revolutionary School on the occasion of the 68th anniversary of the founding of the Korean Children's Union.
19. North Korean schoolchildren in a school bus in Pyongyang on July 25, 2013.
20. North Korean children and their parents wave to Chinese residents during Children's Day celebrations on the Yalu River near the North Korean city of Sinuiju, opposite the Chinese border city of Dandong, June 1, 2011.
21. Girls mourn the deceased leaders of the country at a memorial in Pyongyang.
22. North Korean schoolchildren in front of the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the embalmed bodies of North Korea's founder Kim Il Sung and his son Kim Jong-in are, in Pyongyang on July 25, 2013.
23. Kim Jong-un plays with children during a visit to a general hospital in Pyongyang May 19, 2014.
24. A boy is seen in an orphanage in an area hit by a summer flood and typhoon in South Hwanghae province on October 1, 2011.
25. A woman carries a boy dressed in North Korean military uniforms at the Foundation Party monument in Pyongyang October 11, 2010.
26. Girls backstage before performing at a local school in Rason, northeast of Pyongyang, on August 29, 2011.
There are conflicting ideas about how children live in North Korea. If you believe the Western media, schoolchildren go hungry, work on construction sites on an equal basis with adults, are subject to physical punishment and pay fines for not meeting the work norm. However, there is another view of the situation: boys and girls study in creative studios, perform during the holidays, go on excursions and generally live like their peers from other countries. The truth, as usual, lies in the golden mean.
What affects the lives of children
The situation when people live in different conditions depending on the region is not unique to North Korea. If we take as an example schoolchildren from Moscow and a small town in the outback, the difference will be obvious. This fact is often overlooked when trying to portray the entire life of North Korea with a few photographs of children from rural areas, where living standards are much lower than in large cities.
The residents of the state capital, Pyongyang, have the most development opportunities. Hundreds of schools, kindergartens, sports clubs, music and art studios operate here. Parents' income levels also differ from provincial regions. At the same time, the authorities do not hide the fact that Pyongyang is a city for the elite. Only those North Koreans who have been approved by the authorities can visit it, and even more so to live in the capital.
Another factor that affects the well-being is the “rating” of the family in the DPRK caste system. It is called "songbun" and involves the division of society into three main strata and a dozen smaller categories. The “caste” of the parents determines their profession, income and respect in society. This directly affects the lives of children - in accordance with the class, kindergarten and school are chosen, and it also determines whether the child will have the opportunity to enter a university in the future.
What is taught in school
Education begins at the age of seven and consists of three stages. There are eleven classes in the school system, which complete all and without fail. Formally, education is free, but the student's family must make contributions for the use of textbooks, furniture and the school building itself, as well as food. At the same time, the services of teachers are not paid.
The Ministry of Education adopted an extended school day from the Soviet Union. The country lives in a single rhythm, so the vast majority of adults work until six in the evening, and then stay at meetings or party lectures, and only then return home. It turns out that all day the children are under the supervision of the educational institution. There is enough time for lessons, circles, sports and ideological education.
They study familiar subjects: mathematics, the Korean language and literature, history (including world history, albeit noticeably adjusted to the requirements of the party), fine arts.
Each discipline aims to form the "right" citizen - a patriot who, from childhood, believes in the ideals of the Juche, loves the Leaders, and knows that America is the main enemy.
Political education accounts for about 6% of the teaching load. This does not prevent North Korea from ranking first in the world in terms of the literacy rate of its population. They even study English in schools, albeit from bad North Korean textbooks. Others cannot be used because of the wrong presentation of ideology.
Free time
In addition to studying, children must attend sports or art sections. Playing one musical instrument is included in the school curriculum, the second is studied additionally, after lessons. Depending on their predisposition, children are divided between sections of drawing, housekeeping, singing, dancing, and technical circles.
Raising a child in the DPRK is impossible without active sports. Moreover, preference is given to team forms, since the pursuit of individual achievements develops unhealthy competition and selfishness. For the sake of fairness, it should be noted that a collective approach is characteristic of most Asian countries - including capitalist Japan and South Korea.
During large and not so public holidays, children's performances are an obligatory element of the entertainment program. They begin to prepare for them in two or three months, because the festivals are shown on television. Therefore, children do not have much free time as such. It appears only in the bosom of the family, but there are responsibilities there too - for example, helping around the house.
Union of children
It is the North Korean counterpart to the Soviet Union's pioneer movement. Children join the organization at the age of ten, and this event makes them full members of society.
Initiation takes place on the Day of the Sun - April 15. This holiday is associated with the birth of Kim Il Sung, the Eternal Leader of North Korea. Schoolchildren take an oath of loyalty to ideals and receive red ties to prove that they are now adults.
The film by Russian director Vitaly Mansky "In the Rays of the Sun" is described in detail about this event. It shows a day in the life of a North Korean schoolgirl who is about to become a pioneer. There is no direct assessment of the events in the tape, but the mood suggests that the event is not as joyful as the country's authorities want to portray it. The film caused a great resonance, and in North Korea it was banned.
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The everyday life of North Korea is hidden from prying eyes, but sometimes the curtain rises and we manage to spy on how adult citizens spend their everyday life. But much less is known about the smallest, and is there anything in their life that is sharply different from the life of our children?
We are in site found the answer to this question and share with you 10 interesting facts about how childhood goes in the most closed country in the world.
- The first thing a newborn receives is social status, or songbun. Thus, the state immediately classifies the baby as a "loyal", "wavering" or "hostile" stratum of the population. Songbun is passed down from the father and determines where the child will study, which university will go to and whether he can become a member of the Labor Party.
- Education begins in kindergarten. From 4 years old, children go to kindergarten at the request of their parents, but from 5 years old - according to the compulsory educational program. Every child who is going to the 1st grade must attend kindergarten throughout the year.
- Children with parents live in shelters. This is because young couples often do not cope with the material support of children. It happens that orphans who have been taken into a family are returned to an orphanage for the same reason.
- Biographies of the leaders of the country and the Russian language are taught in schools. Selected classes are also devoted to the glorification of the revolutionary activities of Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, and Kim Jong Un. They study not only Russian, but also English, albeit at a rather low level due to the rejection of foreign textbooks. At the age of 10, all schoolchildren, without exception, join the Children's Union of Korea and from that moment begin to attend political and ideological meetings.
- Ideological propaganda in the classroom and classroom activities. Campaign posters in school corridors, patriotic slogans in textbooks. At matinees, children act out scenes with a clear political overtones, and on big holidays there are children's parades, where schoolchildren dressed in military uniforms march and drive around in typewriters with cardboard rocket launchers.
- Children are taken to public executions... What to do, such a seemingly traumatic experience is considered normal and even necessary for young North Koreans. In addition, children sometimes participate in denunciations.
- Hard child labor is in the order of things. Schoolchildren harvest, cut down trees, beat and carry rocks, and even work on a construction site. Like adults, children have a “labor standard” for failure to comply with which they may well be fined.
- Military toys. Of course, the stores sell dolls and bunnies, but there are also many toy tanks, helicopters and machine guns. It is believed that such toys help foster a spirit of patriotism in little Koreans.
