Exemplary culture of the times, or Korean-style civilization, representative of advancement and modernity of different regions and sectors is being constantly created in the capital city of Pyongyang, having quick effect on local areas.

As part of the efforts to ensure a simultaneous cultural development of the overall sectors and regions, festivals, symposiums and shows are consecutively held on a nationwide scale on themes such as science and technology, industrial design, light industrial products, garment, cooking, aesthetics and fine arts. And Pyongyang tours and visits to model units of the times are organized for exemplary agricultural workers and others from around the country.

With new civilization further promoted through the nationwide network, the capital’s culture is rapidly spreading and expanding to the local and rural communities. Achievements and experiences gained in all realms of cultural construction serve as the foundations for the continuous creation of material and cultural assets of higher quality.

Amid the implementation of the new rural revolution programme of the Workers’ Party of Korea, tens of thousands of families moved into new homes in over a hundred cities and counties last year.

With landscape in harmony with the modern houses, the rural villages are being transformed into a fairyland with thick forests and beautiful scenery.

More than 210 rural communities across the country have been honoured with model neighbourhood unit with socialist cultured way of life as the campaign is gaining momentum to refurbish the modern villages built under the care of the Party into cultured ideal ones. The rapid dissemination of advanced science and technology helps agricultural workers broaden their horizons and adds more to the enthusiasm for scientific farming in rural communities.

An increasing number of farms, namely Naejung Farm in North Phyongan Province’s Yomju County and Yakjon Farm in South Phyongan Province’s Sukchon County, are working to enhance their scientific and informatization standards of production control and business activities by introducing latest information technology and information and communication means to production, with the result that agricultural workers are working merrily with the help of machines.

Thanks to the prevalence of the capital’s modern culture, educational conditions and environment in rural areas have been fundamentally improved with the educational gap bridged between the capital and provinces and between the urban and rural areas.

Efforts are being made in each province to remodel its teachers training college and normal university on Pyongyang Teachers Training College, while the projects to build model schools are being successfully pushed in provinces, cities and counties around the country.

In an effort to distribute excellent teaching resources of the central institutions among rural schools, thousands of videos, multimedia presentations and simulation programs were applied to different systems, grades and subjects at rural schools last year.

Over the recent years guidelines for processing the school uniforms have been annually issued and researchers and technicians of central units have given training courses to provincial uniform producers. As a result, children, be they in urban or rural areas, go to school in well-tailored uniforms.

Commercial, catering and welfare facilities employ convenience-oriented methods, advanced and diversified, in their service activities, and jockey clubs, ski and hot spring resorts, playgrounds and parks spring up in local areas, getting the whole country replete with profound emotion, colourful leisure activities and revolutionary optimism.

Following the prevalence of the capital’s modern culture, all the members of society, with a high sense of pride and self-confidence that Korean culture, way of life and morality are the best, are giving full play to the collectivist way of life and moral traits while enjoying the revolutionary and optimistic cultured way of life of the Korean style.

Yang Ryon Hui