Just one year ago, Dr. Richard Boas, the American father of an adopted Korean girl named Esther, was financially helping other Americans so they could adopt children from overseas. continue

A Korean-American adoptee making his Olympic debut in the Turin Winter Olympics is searching for his birth parents in South Korea. continue

About 20 percent of teenage prostitutes in the southeastern port city of Pusan began working in the industry when they were under 14 just for money, according to a survey. continue

The contests of scientific and technological and dance circle members of the schoolchildren’s palaces (halls) in different parts of the country took place here between Aug. 22 and Sept. 2. continue

The 31st national swimming tournament of school youth and children and the 9th national basketball tournament of youth and students were held in DPRK, from August 11 to 17. continue

A large group of children from Russia has arrived at a North Korean international resort for children to spend there part of their summer holiday.

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Child malnutrition rates in North Korea fall, but U.N. Agencies say more help is needed to build on gains. Malnutrition rates among children in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea have declined in the past two years but remain relatively high, according to a new survey. UN agencies announcing the findings today said that substantial, well-targeted international assistance must be sustained to build on the gains.
The large-scale, random sample survey covered both child and maternal (...) continue

Korea has four distinct seasons and the people have different customs in each season. There are various folk holidays including Tongji (the winter solstice) in the winter season from October to December of lunar calendar.
Tongji, with the longest night and shortest daytime in the year, is one of the biggest folk holidays. This day each family has used to prepare red-bean porridge and share it with neighbors, deepening amity with them.
Meanwhile, there are many kinds of winter folk (...) continue

The DPRK took measures to administer Vitamin A and Mebendasol to the children under five and inoculated them at ri (village) people’s hospitals, clinics and nurseries throughout the country on May 20 and November 20 this year, too. The resident UNICEF representative also took part in the vaccination.
For this purpose, medical officials of central and local public health institutions underwent technical trainings. And diversified medical activities were conducted for children’s health. (...) continue

Hideaki Imaizumi, a pioneer in Japan’s in vitro fertilization program, said Thursday that North Korea’s first test-tube baby was born in June through medical equipment and know-how he gave to a North Korean hospital.
Imaizumi, 58, was a member of the Tohoku University team that successfully achieved Japan’s first in vitro fertilization some 20 years ago. Imaizumi said when he visited Pyongyang to provide medical assistance in 1991, he learned that North Korea had numerous people faced (...) continue

South Korea is still the largest single-country source of foreign-born adoptees to America, according to a report released by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The number of Korean adoptees to the U.S. under the age of 18 stood at 48,000 as of Sept. 20, the bureau reported in its special edition published on the occasion of National Adoption Day on Nov. 20.
Korean adoptees account for 24 percent of internationally adopted children. The report said 13 percent of the total 1.6 million adopted (...) continue

The average South Korean woman gives birth to 1.41 children, far less than the world’s average of 2.92, according to a report published by the United Nations Population Fund on Wednesday.
The global organization announced a report "The Cairo Consensus at Ten: Population, Reproductive Health and the Global Effort to End Poverty," which assesses the world’s population changes for last 10 years since the International Conference on Population and Development held in Cairo in 1994.
According (...) continue

Children from different countries including Russia, China, Mongolia and Tanzania are camping at the Songdowon International Children’s Camp in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
The camp authorities have arranged their camping to suit their mental peculiarities and look after their life with deep care.
The campers are enjoying sea bathing, boating, diving, water sliding, various kinds of amusements and sports games and the like. They are also sightseeing in the East Sea of Korea (...) continue

Joyful camping of schoolchildren from different countries began on August 1 at the Songdowon International Children’s Camp.
Schoolchildren’s camping groups from China, Russia, Mongolia and Tanzania, camping groups of Korean schoolchildren from China and Russia and host Korean schoolchildren were present.
The campers will have various activities including maritime and mountain-climbing activities, sports and amusement games and "day of nation" functions during the camping.
(KCNA, August (...) continue

DPRK players came first in total at the 6th World Junior Taekwon-Do Championships held in Malaysia from July 27 to 30.
It brought together more than 300 players from 49 countries including Russia, Malaysia, Tajikistan, Japan and the U.S.
The players of the DPRK carried off 17 gold medals, 2 silver medals, 3 bronze medals and 6 cups.
(KCNA, August 2) continue

Rape and various forms of prostitution involving children and youth have become a major social problem. Since the passage of the Youth Protection Law, in 2001, some offenders have had their names, birthdays, and crimes regularly made public.
The program through which the identities of individuals convicted of sexual offenses against children and minors are made public is being taken to the next level. The government Commission on Youth Protection says it will have the law revised so that (...) continue

Camping of schoolchildren is at its height at the camps of the Children’s Union in scenic spots of the DPRK.
Campers are spending joyful days with a wide range of activities, mainly marine sports, at the Songdowon International Children’s Camp and camps on the east coast including the Munchon, Soho and Kyongpho areas. At the camps in mountains and on lakesides such as Mangyongdae, Sokam, Mt. Jangja, Phophyong, Lake Yonphung and Lake Sohung, the campers are enriching the knowledge they (...) continue