Following the trend in South Korea and elsewhere, where a
rising number of working parents has led to a boom in the childcare industry, day care services are putting down roots in North Korea, the
Daily NK has learned.
“Personal day care centers for
children with parents, not for orphans, are becoming more popular,” a Pyongyang-based source told the Daily NK on Friday in a phone
conversation. “They’re popular
with younger women who don’t have enough time for
childcare because of work.”
“Women who must travel far and wide to sell
their wares look for nannies or have their children stay at individually-run
day care centers,” she elaborated. “Some parents even have children in their teens stay at these places.”
The monthly cost of a nanny is roughly the equivalent of 25 kg of rice in the case of babies [up to 16 months old], and 10 kg of rice for toddlers from age
3-5 and kindergartners or school children between 6 and 10, according
to the source. As of November 6th, rice was roughly 4,800 KPW [0.58
USD] per kilo in public markets.
“Depending on how nice the parents are, or
how much they are willing to spend, nannies can get bonuses and holiday
gifts, too. If the parents are happy, they can get taken on long term,” she explained.
In line with this cultural turn,
a few grandparents have begun to seek payment for the time they spend looking after their
grandchildren, the source alleged. As such, “Even if they have grandparents available, if they’re not good at taking care of children the parents will choose day care instead.”
 Images from a Rodong Sinmun report on November 7th from ‘Pyongyang Baby Home and Orphange.’ Image: Rodong Sinmun |
Elsewhere, North Korea’s Party-run daily Rodong Sinmun
published an article late last week stating that children have moved into “Pyongyang Baby
Home and Orphanage,” which lies along the Taedong River. “Our
children, who are enjoying all the great fortune they can in the arms of our
Party, will be able to further enjoy their civilized life,” it read.
However, according to the source, the reality is different. “The reason why Kim Jong Eun has been actively promoting the facility is that it is not really for orphans. It’s to drum up loyalty from his Party cadres.”
“Orphans need to be of good songbun
[family political background and loyalty] in order to get into ‘Pyongyang Baby Home and Orphanage,’” she went on. “Children who were abandoned because
their parents got divorced, or who are offspring of single mothers, or who have
lost their parents due to hardships; these children can’t even get
near the facilities.”
“The children of cadres who worked in the
Central Party prior to their deaths, from Section 5 of the Cadres Department, or who died in the line of duty as
military pilots and suchlike; if their songbun
checks out, these children can get in.”
“If you have good songbun you can get into
the Pyongyang Orphanage, and if you have money you can get care from personal
nannies. That’s today’s reality,” she concluded. “We need
orphanages that can take care of real orphans that have bad songbun and no
money.”
