Young Folk Game Players 

These are children from the Ponbu Kindergarten in Sinuiju, a city in the northwestern part of Korea, well-known across the country for their talents in playing folk games.

For the Children’s Health

Rearing healthy and sound children is an issue that has a bearing on the prospect and future of all countries.

Especially, the period of nursery and kindergarten covers the most important part of human development, and thus it is highly important to pay attention to nutrition and health management of those in this age group.

November 20 is Children’s Health Day.

On the occasion of the day, childcare in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is introduced here.

The DPRK has established a socialist system of nursing and upbringing of children, in which all the pre-school children are enrolled and reared in nurseries and kindergartens at state and social expense.

This system is legally guaranteed by law.

The Law of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on the Nursing and Upbringing of Children was adopted in April 1976 and amended and supplemented in March 1999. Comprised of sixty articles in six chapters, the law comprehensively stipulates numerous benefits for children, including construction of nurseries and kindergartens, supply of grains and other foodstuffs, clothes, footwear and other daily necessities, special protection of mothers with children, nutritional and medical service for children, treatment of nursery and kindergarten teachers, organization and operation of nurseries, kindergartens, baby homes and orphanages, and guidance, management and supply systems for them, etc.

Every city and county has a foodstuff supply station which is in charge of the provision for the local nurseries and kindergartens with such nutritional foods as milk, meat, eggs, fruits, vegetables and confectionery.

In recent years baby homes and orphanages in the capital city and the seats of provinces have been renovated, and the orphans across the country are provided with quality nutritional foods on a special and preferential basis.

Worthy of special note is that the Third Plenary Meeting of the Eighth Central Committee of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea held in June this year established it as the Party’s childcare policy to supply all the children across the country with nutritional foods including dairy products at state expense.

It is an inherent part of wishes of parents to feed and dress their children well and take pride in them in front of the others. A Korean saying goes that it takes fifty thousand man-days to raise a child, implying how demanding and challenging it is. Worse still, it is by no means easy for the country to adopt such a resolution in the light of the fact that the country is experiencing quite a hard time due to the prolonged sanctions by the hostile forces coupled by the global health crisis.

It is a courageous decision that can be made only by General Secretary      Kim Jong Un of the WPK, who regards it as a source of happiness, not a challenge, to spare nothing for the children across the country, saying that it is a blessing for the WPK to be in charge of raising millions of them. Also, it is a moving story unique to the WPK that cherishes as an ennobling ideal the spirit of making selfless, devoted efforts for the good of the people.

Thanks to the benevolent care of the head of state and ruling party, the DPRK is well advanced in its pursuit of good health of the children.

One of the examples is the activities of the Korean Association for Supporting the Children founded in 2013 with a mission to assist the government in this regard.

The association trains the professionals in the fields of children’s healthcare, nourishment, intellectual development and day care, and plays the role of a communications office and a channel of assistance for children. Outreach programs are briskly underway and hygienic information work is being energetically undertaken among the local people so as to lower the children’s morbidity rate and rate of missing in inoculation. Its production bases make a variety of traditional medicines including anti-virus liquid medicine made from burdock, contributing to the treatment of pediatric diseases. It is also engaged in the major evaluation of medical supplies and appliances needed for the children’s healthcare at the nurseries, kindergartens and pediatric hospitals designated as targets of assistance and reinforcing the trial production processes of nutritional foods for the children. It also hosts photo exhibitions and forums on child healthcare on the occasion of the International Children’s Day, World Health Day and Children’s Health Day, fostering the climate of social support for the children.

Orphans in Pyongyang as Seen by Foreigners

In early September this year members of the diplomatic corps in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea visited Pyongyang Baby Home and Orphanage.

Following is part of their impression:

The Workers’ Party of Korea and the government of the DPRK pay close attention to the intellectual education, healthcare and even food supply for children. It is hard to believe that these are orphans as they are under such scrupulous care. Comrade Kim Jong Un is, indeed, the genuine father of the children. (Cuban ambassador)

I was quite moved while looking round the orphanage equipped with all the conditions necessary for the orphans’ living. The leadership of the DPRK and the Workers’ Party of Korea spare nothing for children. I could feel Comrade     Kim Jong Un’s direct care in every nook and cranny of the orphanage. (Russian ambassador)

Taking care of orphans is a Gordian knot and economic burden in other countries. However, the DPRK gives importance to bringing up orphans and provides them with all the conditions for their happy living even though everything is in short supply. I was struck with wonder as I saw that these baby home and orphanage are giving the orphans education necessary at the stages of nursery and kindergarten. (Syrian ambassador)

During his on-site guidance at the Baby Home and Orphanage, General Secretary Kim Jong Un paid close attention to the living and studying conditions for orphans and the management of these facilities. This shows his warm love for orphans. I hope that the children of Pyongyang Baby Home and Orphanage will grow happily under his warm care. (Chinese councilor)