KOREAN LEADER AND CHILDREN

Leader Kim Jong Un of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has a great fondness for children. Following anecdotes show how he loves children.

WRITTEN REPLIES TO LETTERS FROM CHILDREN

Kim Jong Un, busy as he is, reads all the letters from the children across the country and writes by himself replies to them without fail.

Hong Ri Hyang from Pyongyang Taedongmun Kindergarten wrote to him: “When I sang songs in the performances of a celebrated orchestra staged in celebrations of the 80^th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People’s Army and the 66^th anniversary of the founding of the Korean Children’s Union, you were the first to give me a big hand. I will practice my singing and dancing more earnestly and grow up into a talented musician.”

Ri Hyang from the same kindergarten wrote that she was so eager to tell him about her pride of being awarded a top prize in the national contest of kindergarten children with talents that she wrote the letter in her own handwriting for the first time. She said, “Dear Marshal, I wish you laugh a big laugh even for a moment looking at this photo of little Ri Hyang with the top prize certificate. I like best when you have a beaming smile.”

To the kindergarten children Kim Jong Un wrote his reply letters in his handwriting.

“Ri Hyang, grow up happily and prettily to be an excellent daughter of Korea.

Kim Jong Un

June 27, 2012”

“I have received your letter and photo with great pleasure. Wish you bring your talent into full bloom and be a proud daughter of Songun Korea.

Kim Jong Un

September 13, 2012”

TOGETHER WITH SONS OF A WORKER FAMILY

Early September in 2012 Kim Jong Un called at a worker family who moved into a new apartment house in modern Changjon Street in Pyongyang.

After looking round the house with all the conveniences he sat with the home owners. Holding their son, Pak Hun who was a second-year student of a primary school, on his knee, he asked whether they had only a son. They answered that their eldest son Pak Won was a third-year student of a secondary school and he had not yet come back from school.

The leader was sorry about it, and picked up a drawing by Hun of a schoolmate doing a good thing. He then taught the boy how to finish the drawing.

After a while, Won returned and made a bow to the leader. He asked Won where he had been, and the boy answered loudly that he had practiced football. The leader wished he would become a good football player.

That day he presented the children with the storybooks of The Collection of World-famous Fairy Tales. Hun read loudly the storybook, titled, The Bee Named Maya.

The leader, with a benign smile, looked at the boy reading in delight.

“MARSHAL, A PHOTO WITH ME!”

One early November day in 2012 Kim Jong Un visited the People’s Open-air Ice Rink which was built splendidly on the bank of the Taedong River in downtown Pyongyang.

He entered the rink where children and students were skating on a vast area. Looking at them with a broad smile, he noticed there were cute children aged three to six skating on the rink and called them to his side. He asked them how old they were, whether they liked skating, when they started learning to skate, and so on. When he was answered that it was no more than a month before they began skating, he said everybody could skate well if a nice training place and instrument were provided. Saying this, he patted the children patronizingly on their cheeks.

He was just going out saying goodbye to the children, when a four-year boy ran to him. The boy promptly flung himself into his arms, saying, “Let’s pose for a photo with me, Marshal!”

The leader, smiling, walked back to the rink, taking his hand in his. Just then, all the children and students in the rink rushed toward him. They were delighted to have a photo taken with him.

WAITING FOR THE CHILDREN

On May 19 2013 Kim Jong Un visited the camp for Pyongyang schoolchildren in Mt. Myohyang.

When he arrived at the camp the campers were out for mountaineering. Saying that the young campers would be very much disappointed if he left without meeting them, he told others to wait for them to return.

Meanwhile, he made the rounds of the camp, including a mess hall and bedrooms. He said in the following vein: We have a million things to do for the building of a thriving country. Still, we should not spare nothing if it is for building afresh the children’s camp splendidly. We should reconstruct not only this camp but all other children’s camps, children’s palaces and halls across the country.

Time passed, and the campers returned from the mountaineering, cheering.

When he posed for a photo with the children, they were so happy that they could not suppress the welling tears. Soothing them to stop crying and pose for a photo, the leader said crying faces were not photogenic. Tears were glistening in his eyes, too.