International Children’s Day Celebrated across the DPRK Events in celebration of June 1 International Children’s Day took place across the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. There were artistic performances and sports games of children at kindergartens, orphanages and baby homes, which were colourfully decorated with the slogans reading “We are the happiest in the world” and “We are full of joy”, strips of pennants, balloons and flowers. Children performed gymnastic movements to the tune of the songs Today Is June 1 and Our Happy Holiday, the duet My Home Full of Laughter and the chorus with drums We Are Also Boy Generals. And the exciting sports games of children and enthusiastic cheering of their parents added much to the festive mood of the day.

Children with Disabilities Celebrate the International Children’s Day A meeting of children with disabilities to celebrate the International Children’s Day took place on June 1 in the gymnasium of the Taedonggang District Juvenile Sports School. Present at the meeting were Yun Chang Il, chairman of the Central Committee of the Korea Federation for the Protection of the Disabled, officials concerned, children with disabilities, children, nurses and teachers at Tongmun Kindergarten No. 2 in Taedonggang District, children’s parents, foreigners and home-visiting overseas Koreans. The director of the Korean Rehabilitation Centre for Children with Disabilities, made a speech, followed by cheerful artistic performances and sports games of children with disabilities and kindergarteners.

Protection of Children—a Pressing Issue for Mankind Children represent the future of mankind. But many of them around the world are dying of social evils, maltreatment and diseases of all sorts. Disputes and armed conflicts are major causes of the agony and misfortune facing children. It is reported that 14 800 children have been killed and 19 000 bereaved of their parents by early April this year since Israel launched military operations in the Gaza Strip in Palestine in October last year. A spokesman for UNICEF said: The Gaza Strip has become a grave of children; they suffer from mental shock caused by battles; even though the battles come to an end, the pain of children and regional communities will continue for several generations to come. According to a report, in 2023 the number of young refugees fleeing disputes exceeded 10 million on a global scale. Children are becoming victims of violent crime and maltreatment of all sorts. In a country, gun violence is the first cause of the death of children; in 2021 alone 4 752 were killed. Rampant exploitation of young immigrants is also a social plight. Child abuse is a social climate in some country. Cases of child abuse number hundreds of thousands. In this country parents maltreat, cast out or even murder their children, regarding them as nuisances. On a global scale, children account for about 28 percent of the victims of human trafficking. Meanwhile, 783 million children suffer from hunger and 150 million from growth fault due to malnutrition and epidemic diseases. The world public said that solving the problem of child protection as soon as possible is a pressing issue for mankind.

Farmers Move into New Houses House-moving ceremonies took place at newly-built modern rural villages in the Oryu Vegetable Farm and Jangsuwon Farm in Pyongyang City and Tokjang Farm in Jongju City and Sonsang Farm in North Phyongan Province, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The villages are really wonderful with hundreds of terraced, one-storey and low-rise houses surrounded by fruit trees, zelkova trees and other good species of trees and flowering plants. In the ceremonies licenses were given to the agricultural workers provided with new houses amid hearty congratulations and applause from the participants of the ceremonies. After extending greetings of gratitude to the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un who put forward it as a major state policy to decisively spruce up the appearance and environment of the countryside and is translating the century-old desires and ideals of agricultural workers into reality, the agricultural workers who received new houses expressed their determination to bring about a bumper harvest through hard work. The ceremonies were followed by dancing parties held amid resounding joyful peasant music. Relevant officials shared pleasure with the owners of new houses.

Ceremony for Opening New School Year Held at Vocational School for the Disabled A ceremony for opening a new school year for the 12th term was held at the Vocational School for the Disabled under the Central Committee of the Korea Federation for the Protection of the Disabled on the 2nd. Present at the ceremony were the chairman of the Central Committee of the Korea Federation for the Protection of the Disabled, teachers of the school, refreshers and their parents. Speeches were made at the ceremony. Those who took the floor expressed their determination to steadily improve the conditions, environment and quality of education in keeping with the characteristics of the disabled and to study hard so as to become talents possessed of multi-faceted knowledge and high cultural attainments.

Various Exhibitions Held The Spring Garment Show-2024 opened at the Three-Revolution Exhibition House in Pyongyang on the 29th April, adding much to the beauty of spring. The show held on the theme of “As dazzling as our era, as beautiful as our ideals” is aimed at leading the civilization of the new era and diversifying clothes in keeping with ever-increasing social interest in and aesthetic demand for attire. More than 270 units engaging in the production of light-industry goods presented over 50 000 pieces of about 20 kinds of spring and summer clothes for women, men and children. Also presented are designs of novel and characteristic clothes and bags, hats, brooches and other accessories and famous cosmetics which will improve the attire of women. Technical exchange and workshops are to be held during the show. Meanwhile, the National Exports Exhibition-2024 on the theme of “Increasing the Varieties, Improving Quality and Competitive Edge” opened at the Central Youth Hall on May 2. Over 110 units including the State Academy of Sciences, Ministry of Light Industry and Ministry of Public Health presented more than 14 000 pieces of goods of over 970 kinds and valuable scientific research achievements. What attracts attention are the building materials, furniture, garments, footwear, cosmetics, foodstuff and medicines which can symbolize and represent the relevant units, goods which were made with the locally-available raw and other materials and which retain the economic features of the given regions and goods presented by equity and joint venture companies.