The idea of a happy childhood, and of children being “the only kings of the country,” is a core concept in North Korean propaganda.
Official media brags about free school education and afterschool activities, free medical service, school uniform and textbooks distributed by the state, well-organized orphanages, and the absence of corporal punishments in North Korean schools.
Almost none of these achievements, which indeed put North Korea in a good light in comparison to the developing world, are challenged by Western observers. Still, they criticize childhood in the DPRK from a different angle.
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The idea of a happy childhood, and of children being "the only kings of the country," is a core concept in North Korean propaganda.
Official media brags about free school education and afterschool activities, free medical service, school uniform and textbooks distributed by the state, well-organized orphanages, and the absence of corporal punishments in North Korean schools.
Tatiana Gabroussenko obtained her PhD in East Asian Studies at the Australian National University. She is currently a professor of North Korean studies at Korea University, Seoul. Her latest book, "Soldiers on the Cultural Front: Developments in the Early History of North Korean Literature and Literary Policy," was included in the Choice magazine list of Outstanding Academic Titles of 2012.
