What did Kim Jong-un say about education at North Korea’s teachers’ conference?

Kim Jong-un called education the most important state affair and said it should not lag behind any other field. He also said educators should be held in higher esteem than anyone else.

Why did Kim Jong-un describe North Korea’s education sector as being at a critical juncture?

He said recent changes in the system, content and environment amounted to a revolution. The conference also highlighted ongoing educational projects aimed at meeting goals set by the ruling party’s Ninth Congress.

What changes and achievements in North Korea’s education sector were reported at the teachers’ conference?

Premier Pak Thae-song reviewed achievements and shortcomings over the past seven years and outlined tasks for the sector. The paper said 4,320 schools and kindergartens have been remodeled or newly built since the 14th teachers’ conference, and Kim Il Sung University has introduced a credit-based system.

N. Korea's Kim stresses role of education at teachers' conference

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Summary

North Korea opened the 15th National Conference of Teachers in Pyongyang, with Kim Jong-un stressing education as the country’s top state task and praising teachers as patriots. He said the sector is at a critical juncture and described recent changes in its system, content and environment as a revolution. The conference was held for the first time since February 2019.

Key Facts

Kim Jong-un said education is the most important state affair and should not lag behind any other field.
He praised teachers as patriots at the forefront of raising the country’s next generation.
North Korea held the teachers’ conference for the first time since February 2019.

By Yonhap

Published Sep 3, 2026 9:46 am KST

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attends the 15th National Conference of Teachers in Pyongyang, in this imaged released by Korean Centeral News Agency, Wednesday. Yonhap

North Korea has opened the 15th National Conference of Teachers in Pyongyang, with leader Kim Jong-un stressing the importance of education and touting teachers' role in advancing it, state media reported Thursday.

In his opening address a day earlier, Kim called education "the most important state affair that cannot and should not lag behind the work of any other fields" and praised teachers as "patriots" at the forefront of raising the country's next generation.

North Korea held the teachers' conference for the first time since February 2019.

Kim singled out members of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, or Chongryon, thanking them for serving as "champions of the right to national education" who have raised the community's youth "in the alien land" through patriotic devotion.

He described the education sector as standing at a critical juncture, noting changes in recent years to its system, content and environment, a shift he called nothing short of "a revolution."

"I reaffirm that education is the most important state affair and educators should be held in higher esteem than anyone else," he said.

At the conference, Premier Pak Thae-song reviewed the country's educational achievements and shortcomings over the past seven years, and outlined tasks for advancing the educational sector, according to the KCNA.

Pointing to "a series of deviations," Pak stressed the need to narrow the education gap between urban and rural areas, one of the key goals set by the Ninth Congress of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea in February.

The Rodong Sinmun, the North's most widely read newspaper, reported the previous day that educational projects have been under way to meet goals set out by the Congress.

Since the 14th teachers' conference, some 4,320 schools and kindergarten have been remodeled or newly built. Major universities, including Kim Il Sung University, have introduced a credit-based system, along with other education reforms, such as an integrated teaching management system, according to the paper.

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