County education officials in Musan county in North Korea’s North Hamgyong province visited the home of a disabled student’s family this month, joining teachers who had already made repeated visits, in an effort to persuade the parents to send their child back to school. The parents are refusing, citing years of bullying that began in elementary school.
A source in North Hamgyong province told Daily NK on Friday that teachers at a middle school in Musan county’s town center had visited the student’s home multiple times after the child stopped attending classes, but the visits produced no results. On Sept. 2, officials from the county party’s education department joined the effort, visiting the family directly to press the parents to reconsider.
The student was born with a congenital spinal disability, the source said. In North Korea, people with spinal disabilities are sometimes described with a derogatory term meaning “hunchback,” and classmates reportedly used this kind of language to mock the student throughout elementary school, subjecting the child to persistent bullying and social exclusion.
Aware of this reality, the parents had originally planned to keep their child in school only long enough to learn basic reading and writing, the source said. While overt teasing eased somewhat as the child moved up in grade level, the student had few classmates willing to spend time together or grow close, according to the source.
Tutoring instead of the classroom
“The parents don’t want their child to go through that kind of school experience again,” the source said. “Both the school and the county party are trying to persuade them to send the child back, but since neither side can offer a concrete plan to protect a disabled student from bullying, the parents aren’t backing down.”
The source added that people with disabilities in North Korea are frequently assigned to jobs at convenience facilities or in light manual labor, such as watch or shoe repair. “The parents figure their child will end up in simple repair work after graduating anyway, so they’re asking why the child should have to endure bullying at school in the meantime,” the source said.
Instead, the parents have hired a private tutor to teach the child computer skills at home, the source said. The family can afford the tutoring fees, and they believe that strong computer skills could open the door to better job prospects for their child despite the physical disability.
When county party education officials visited the family, they argued that attending school alongside peers is necessary for a child to grow into a productive member of society and urged the parents to reconsider. The parents pushed back firmly, telling officials, “We’ll take care of our child’s future ourselves, so please stop putting more pressure on a child who already has physical difficulties,” according to the source.
The standoff has placed the school in a difficult position. Because the student falls under North Korea’s compulsory education requirements, prolonged absence leaves the school responsible for managing the case.
“The school is trying every way it can to get the student back into the classroom to avoid responsibility for a long-term absence, while the parents are holding firm, saying they won’t let their child be hurt again,” the source said. “Even with county party education officials getting involved, the parents are showing no sign of budging, and the issue remains unresolved.”
Reporting from inside North Korea
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September 18, 2026 at 06:23AM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)