The Law of the DPRK on Providing the Children’s Rights is designed to promote the rights and interests of children to the maximum in all fields of social life including education, public health, family and judicature.

The law consisting of six chapters and 62 articles was adopted on December 22, 2010, as a decree of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly of the DPRK, and it has since been amended and supplemented on several occasions.

Children are the future of the nation and reserve for socialist construction.

In the DPRK they are all provided with equal rights irrespective of their family backgrounds, sex, positions of their parents or guardians, financial status, and physical disabilities.

It is a consistent policy of the DPRK to give priority to children and preferentially support their rights and interests.

The State always pays close attention to their growth and development and meticulously ensures that they fully exercise their rights and grow up happily with nothing to envy.

They are the biggest beneficiaries of the nation’s free education and free healthcare system.

The State makes sure that the universal 12-year free and compulsory education system and the complete and universal free healthcare system are further strengthened to raise children to be healthy in spiritual, moral and physical aspects.

Particular attention is given to defending their rights and interests at home.

The State, in accordance with the principle of “All the best things for the children,” sees to it that they are preferentially provided with all the best things necessary for their health, education and life.

The law stipulates on the provision of children’s rights in social life as follows: “Children have rights to existence and development. Parents, guardians or relevant units shall champion their rights by which their existence is defended and they grow up healthily in mental and physical aspects.”

According to the law, children are entitled to join such an organization as the Children’s Union and freely express their views through writings, publications and works of art.

The DPRK strictly forbids child labour.

The law requires children to be granted with more benefits in education and healthcare.

Institutions for the education of children and their parents are obliged to provide full conditions for children to finish their schooling.

The law also deals with children’s rights to building their dreams and capacities, enjoying leisure and amusement activities, receiving parents’ support and teaching and exercising rights at home.

Children with disabilities have the same access to education and healthcare as the able-bodied ones do.

Those children who have neither parents nor guardians are to be cared at baby homes, orphanages and schools for orphans at state expenses.

Relevant units and industrial establishments should develop more nutritional materials and foodstuffs and consumer goods needed for the children’s health and growth, and produce and supply them in a planned manner.

The law refers to the social support for the children’s education and healthcare: “The edification and healthcare of the children is a nationwide undertaking involving whole society. Agencies, enterprises and organizations shall help boost the social support for the education and healthcare of the children.”

Today, Korean children are healthily growing up to be pillars of the future thanks to the State’s people-oriented policies.

Kim Hyon Hui