On July 30, 2022, the Rodong Sinmun newspaper reported that over 110 high school graduates from North Pyongan Province ‘volunteered’ to work at socialist construction sites. (Rodong Sinmun, News1)
North Korean high school students in their final year are increasingly putting on a variety of “graduation parties,” leaving parents who must now prepare not only for the official graduation ceremony but also for their children’s private parties having a tough time.
According to a Daily NK source in Ryanggang province, high school graduating classes have been holding “class graduation ceremonies” since the start of November.
In North Korea, every third-year high school class holds a class graduation ceremony in November, ahead of the actual graduation. In these ceremonies, students express gratitude to their homeroom teachers, principals and deputy principals, coming together to collect money to prepare food and gifts.
The homeroom teachers of third-year classes are sensitive about the kinds of food and gifts students prepare, comparing theirs with those of other classes to keep one another in check professionally.
“Most teachers survive on bribes from students and parents,” the source said. “To collect bribes, you must become a homeroom teacher, and to become a homeroom teacher, the principal must recognize you. In particular, third-year homeroom teachers use class graduation ceremonies as an opportunity to show off their ability to run their class.”
Poor students skip ceremonies they cannot afford
Because students know their homeroom teachers are sensitive to the class graduation ceremonies, they work hard to ensure their ceremonies are second to none. Because parents ultimately provide the money the students pool to prepare for the event, hard-pressed parents find it a heavy burden.
In one class graduation ceremony at a high school in Hyesan on Nov. 2, only two-thirds of students participated. The other third—students from poorer families with no money to spare—felt burdened and told their classmates they would not attend.
Recently, high school students in their final year have increasingly held “graduation parties,” with groups of around 10 close friends taking turns hosting gatherings at their homes with food and dancing. These parties have aggravated the burden on parents.
“In the past, parents only had to prepare for the class graduation ceremonies, but nowadays their children want to make one last memory and ask to invite their friends home for a feast,” the source said. “Parents can’t make their children look bad, so inevitably they spend a lot of money preparing for this, too.”
Ten kilograms of rice cake alone costs over 200,000 North Korean won, while noodles, side dishes and refreshments cost another 100,000 won, meaning parents must spend more than 300,000 won on their child’s graduation party alone.
“Many parents scrounge the money for the graduation parties so that their kids can save face, but it’s a huge burden,” the source said. “Children from poor families feel completely excluded from this custom, so people lament and say that money is erecting walls between children.”
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