The central headquarters of the North Korean Socialist Patriotic Youth League recently ordered students to help improve the morale of the factory workers who make their school uniforms. While the youth league wants students to show appreciation, these programs are placing a burden on both young students and their parents.
“The central headquarters of the Socialist Patriotic Youth League has instructed members of schools and branches in each region to personally visit the factories that manufacture the clothes, shoes, bags, and school supplies that are part of the school uniforms to be distributed, express their appreciation to the factory workers and promote the superiority of the socialist system,” a source in Pyongyang told Daily NK on Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons.
As a result, from Jan. 26 to the Lunar New Year in February, the local branches of the youth league and the propaganda units of each school are planning to organize visits to light industry factories mobilized for the production of school uniforms and hold various activities to raise the spirits of the workers.
In particular, the youth league has instructed schools and local branches to not only sing songs and put on shows during their visits to factories and enterprises, but also to prepare bouquets, snacks, and meals that can be of practical help to the workers.
“You must help them in their work and clean the factory workplace and premises so that your gratitude will truly touch the workers’ hearts,” the youth league stressed.
The youth league said that the purpose of having the students who receive the uniforms entertain the factory workers who make the uniforms was to instill in the children patriotism and gratitude to the Workers’ Party.
As a result, the propaganda detachments and branches of the Korean Children’s Union and the youth league in Pyongyang’s primary and middle schools are organizing factory visits to raise the morale of the workers.
At Chang Hyon Elementary School in Moranbong County, for example, first and second-grade students visited a shoe and garment factory on Unification Street, where they gave a concert and distributed bouquets to the workers. The young students even put their tiny hands to work cleaning the factory despite the cold weather, which the older workers found very moving.