Hyesan authorities mobilized around 8,000 students for a large-scale event to celebrate Kim Il Sung’s birthday on Apr. 15. The event was by far the largest held in Hyesan since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a reporting partner in Yanggang Province told Daily NK on Apr. 14 that preparations had recently been underway in Hyesan for nationwide Korean Children’s Union rallies to mark the late founder’s birthday.
About 8,000 students from elementary schools and other schools in Hyesan were mobilized for the Apr. 15 event. From late March to Apr. 10, they rehearsed for the event for five hours a day from 2 PM to 5 PM after completing their morning classes.
Students stopped attending classes all together from Apr. 11 to take part in dress rehearsals conducted from 8 AM to 6 PM. This is to say, they repeatedly rehearsed the event from start to finish to ensure that the Day of the Sun event went off without a hitch.
The event included not only a Korean Children’s Union admissions ceremony and an awards ceremony, but also a variety of other programs, including parades and song and dance performances to show off the students’ talents. Organizers reinforced the meaning of the Day of the Sun and elevated the holiday atmosphere by seating students in the background of the event, where they held placards with mottos pertaining to the holiday.
The event preparations were due to an order from the North Korean authorities to “hold this year’s Day of Sun events at a scale as grand as before COVID-19.”
Hyesan authorities responded to the order by mobilizing students who have been unable to attend class due to financial difficulties or health reasons.
The reporting partner said many families in Hyesan cannot send their children to school due to hardship, but with teachers visiting everyday demanding that their children must participate in the event, many parents had no choice but to have their children take part.
Students mobilized to participate in the event suffered a variety of problems during their marathon rehearsals, the reporting partner said.
For example, one student was ostricized by students and teachers because she could not keep pace during parade drills on Apr. 13 due to feet blisters that developed over several days of training. Because students have to repeat drills without rest if even one student cannot keep up, most simply endure the pain.
On Apr. 11, six students collapsed during training due to hunger, while two students in the background seats were hospitalized after losing consciousness, the reporting partner said.
“Many parents were heartbroken seeing their children collapse during training due to malnutrition and to see their kids cry at night because their feet hurt. Parents complained that they don’t know if it was necessary to mobilize children for the event. Some people felt that if this is the way the holiday is going to be, it would be best not to even celebrate it.”
Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.
Daily NK works with a network of reporting partners who live inside North Korea and China. Their identities remain anonymous due to security concerns. More information about Daily NK’s reporting partner network and information gathering activities can be found on our FAQ page here.
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