North Korea is focusing attention on education as the new school year begins
on April 1, but challenges remain. At the 10th session of the 14th Supreme People’s
Assembly on January 15, Kim Jong-un noted that the educational quality and
environment in the provinces are poor and that the “educational revolution of the new
century is just at its beginning.” Despite many efforts to change the structure of
education, innovate teaching contents and methods, and improve teaching conditions
and environment, the problem of educational disparity between the center and the
provinces and between urban and rural areas remains serious. This article evaluates
the current situation of regional educational disparities in North Korea and the policies
to address them, which were emphasized at the last Supreme People’s Congress