Education and Military service
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Education and Military service in North Korea
Education
The education system in North Korea is similar to ours (in The Netherlands). At an early age, the small children can make use of playgroups. At the age of five the go to the kindergarten and they are taught about the childhood of the great leader Kim-Il-Sung.
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 The classroom where the infants learn about Kim Il Sung |
At the age of six/ seven to ten/eleven the children are in the primary school. Here, they learn to read, write, calculate and of course not in the final place: the life of Kil Il Sung and his Juche filosophy. School-hours are from 8.30 to 12.30, siz days a week. When you outshine in art (dancing, singing, music, sports) then you are selected for the after school club: School Childrens Palace. At the age of eleven/twelve the children to to the secondary education, where about fifteen courses are taught that all directly relate to North Korea.
How is it possible to create your own vision to life (see Juche) if you are flushed with information on the Great Leader and the information is limited to Korea?
We only visited the 'top of the bill' of the education system. We visited the playground of a cooperative farm and the "first school" (what's in a name) of the primary schools. Our visits gave us a very uncomfortable feeling: why are the infants dressed this nice? Our last visit had a very weird after tast: why do they pretend as if the children are following a class (the school was finished!) and why de the children look very unhappy at their performance?
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- Movie of a performance at the secondary school (1)
- Movie of a performance at the secondary school (2)
Information distribution
In Pyongyang we visited the library. The library is open for everybody at the age of 17 or older. We were told that everybody can come and study for free. Books are loaned for free. All information is said to be available without any form of censure. To be honest, we do not believe this: not everyone is allowed to go inside (you have to live in Pyongyang otherwise you can never get there, see Transport) and there definately is sensorship on the available information... Apart from books, you can also find courses in the library. There is no access to the Internet since the entire country is not connected to it.
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Also the television is limited. North Korea has three national channels, but during the week they all offer the same programs. In the weekends, you have a limited choice, although all programs are Korean: Korean opera, Korean (good) news, Korean historical movies, Korean... We visited the film studio in Pyongyang and kept this in our mind. It was nice to see though, we could even picture a Korean movie star!
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 We were more interesting than the movie stars :-) |
 Even agriculture can be found at the film set |
Military service
All young men have to serve the military in the age of 17 to 21 (5 years in total). Over one million people are in the army, the exact numbers are unknown. Where-ever you are in North Korea, you run into soldiers. In the beginning of our tour this was very impressive, later one we realised that the soldiers are mainly very young boys. We doubt that all boys were 17 or older... The officers you see stayed in the army after finishing there service and have a high status. Girls are not forces to join the army, although we doubt this as well. We think that when you are a limited girl (when you do not really outshine), you serve in the army to give your family more dignity.
 A picture with an important officer |
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