Mini-comrades on guitar

by Robert Koehler on April 13, 2011

The pride of Cheongam Kindergarten in Cheongjin, North Korea on North Korean TV (HT to, of all people, my parents):

{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }

1 SomeguyinKorea April 13, 2011 at 3:55 pm: What wonderful childhoods these kids must have (I’m being extremely sarcastic).
2 chiamattt April 13, 2011 at 4:46 pm: but they look so happy!
3 Arghaeri April 13, 2011 at 6:30 pm: Food in the belly makes a happier child
4 seouliva April 13, 2011 at 6:34 pm: as a self-taught guitarist, it is INSANE to think of how many hours these little tykes must have put into their studying. Still, bravo!!
5 aaronm April 13, 2011 at 9:01 pm: Could just as well be the south the way some of these 호랑이어머니push the kids into music hagwons. Sometimes its scary just how alike the two Koreas really are.
6 YBT199 April 13, 2011 at 9:53 pm: Probably they do have wonderful childhoods given that they’re likely part of a relatively privileged class. Well-fed, good educations, plenty of attention.

As far as them being happy, that can go either way. Do you remember the two girls from the documentary “A State of Mind”? One very dour and serious: the other very cheerful. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0456012/)

Anyway, have a look at the faces of the two North Korean “Genius Teenagers” doing their drum solo duo (?!) at the end of this video. They are right there in the zone! Sorry the link is to a download site, but the place I originally found it (Robpongi.com) doesn’t seem to be working at the moment.

http://zalil.ru/30854732
7 CactusMcHarris April 14, 2011 at 12:19 pm: Yes, I thought they looked unusually well-nourished (in light of so many pictures showing NK kids hideously not so) – that is to say, they looked like normal kids.

I know the revolution there will not be televised, and I hope it happens before these children aren’t much older than they are now.
8 SomeguyinKorea April 14, 2011 at 9:05 pm: #7,

What are you talking about? These kids are 13 and 14 years-old.
9 Q April 15, 2011 at 9:03 am: It is not entertaining at all. It is just sad.