On September 9, a macrobian’s family was televised on a program arranged in celebration of the 70th founding anniversary of the DPRK.

It was the family of Hwang Chang Bong, aged 103, and her descendants resident in Kaeson-dong, Moranbong District of Pyongyang, who said about their happy life they have enjoyed under the warm care of the Republic.

Macrobian’s songs

Hwang Chang Bong was born as the youngest daughter of five siblings in Kyonggi Province in November 1915 when Korea was under Japanese military occupation.

Her seven family members lived in a small single room, suffering poverty and starvation. And she was forced to do child labour without any hope of learning.

Korea’s liberation in August 1945 brought her a new life worthy of a human being.

She received education at an adults’ school and conducted farming to her heart’s content on her own land distributed gratis to her. Later, she got married and enjoyed a happy life with her five children.

In those days she sang Song of Women’s Emancipation, a song which called upon all women to turn out vigorously in the revolutionary struggle for achieving their social emancipation and creating a new life, free from feudal fetters.

The song was the whole of her life and a source of power and a good companion to her.

As she felt more keenly than anybody else the gratitude to her country, she took the lead in assisting the front during the Fatherland Liberation War (June 1950-July 1953) in order to defend the motherland more precious than her own life.

In the periods of postwar rehabilitation and socialist construction she enjoyed her reputation as a labour innovator at a factory. Though she lost her husband early, she worked as an official of the women’s union, rendering great services for the prosperity of the country.

Now, she is leading a happy life as the head of her family, singing a song Let the Days Go By.

 

To live up to the country’s benefits

She has 52 descendants, who work at different duties and posts, including a Labour Hero, PhDs, educators, manager, scientists and service personnel. 32 of them have graduated from universities, and the others are pupils and students at primary schools and junior and senior middle schools.

Most of them live in modern apartment houses for lecturers of Kim Il Sung University and those in Mirae Scientists Street and Ryomyong Street in the capital city of Pyongyang.

Prof. and Dr. Song Sun Ok, her second daughter who works as a head of a department of Pyongyang Teachers Training College, says: Thanks to my mother’s earnest request in my childhood, I could have devoted myself to educating the rising generations up to now, while taking care of my husband and children. One day I told her about my intention to retire myself from my job as I was over 60 and take care of my grandchildren. She was in silence for a while, and advised me to repay the benefits of the country that brought me up and put me forward.

So, she has written tens of volumes of textbooks while teaching at the college for 46 years since her girlhood and trained many students into dependable pillars of the country.

At present, Hwang’s children are performing duties faithfully at their posts, in spite of far advanced ages for pensionary.

 

Thanks to the superior socialist system

What is amazing is not just her advanced age. She makes it part of her daily routine to read the newspaper Rodong Sinmun without help from glasses, to the surprise of all.

When she has visitors, she offers them tea and cakes and talks with them about her past life with a good memory for the years and dates. So, everyone is struck by her marvelous memory.

She always gets up early in the morning to breathe fresh air and cleans up the room. She often helps kitchen work, and regularly takes a certain amount of meat, egg, vegetable and fruit every day.

Whenever she is asked about the secret of her longevity, she answers: My parents died when I was a child. But, I have lived to be over a hundred, enjoying the benefits of our superior socialist system. I have nothing to worry about myself and my family members as our country gives free education to my children and puts them forward, and looks after my health all the year round.

The happiest time for her is in the evening when she receives phone calls from her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren living separately.

Having a chat with them about the happenings of the day and the stories introduced by the media, she asks them to work harder for the sake of their benevolent country.

Hwang Chang Bong was born as the youngest daughter of five siblings in Kyonggi Province in November 1915 when Korea was under Japanese military occupation.

Her seven family members lived in a small single room, suffering poverty and starvation. And she was forced to do child labour without any hope of learning.

Korea’s liberation in August 1945 brought her a new life worthy of a human being.

She received education at an adults’ school and conducted farming to her heart’s content on her own land distributed gratis to her. Later, she got married and enjoyed a happy life with her five children.

In those days she sang Song of Women’s Emancipation, a song which called upon all women to turn out vigorously in the revolutionary struggle for achieving their social emancipation and creating a new life, free from feudal fetters.

The song was the whole of her life and a source of power and a good companion to her.

As she felt more keenly than anybody else the gratitude to her country, she took the lead in assisting the front during the Fatherland Liberation War (June 1950-July 1953) in order to defend the motherland more precious than her own life.

In the periods of postwar rehabilitation and socialist construction she enjoyed her reputation as a labour innovator at a factory. Though she lost her husband early, she worked as an official of the women’s union, rendering great services for the prosperity of the country.

Now, she is leading a happy life as the head of her family, singing a song Let the Days Go By.

To live up to the country’s benefits

She has 52 descendants, who work at different duties and posts, including a Labour Hero, PhDs, educators, manager, scientists and service personnel. 32 of them have graduated from universities, and the others are pupils and students at primary schools and junior and senior middle schools.

Most of them live in modern apartment houses for lecturers of Kim Il Sung University and those in Mirae Scientists Street and Ryomyong Street in the capital city of Pyongyang.

Prof. and Dr. Song Sun Ok, her second daughter who works as a head of a department of Pyongyang Teachers Training College, says: Thanks to my mother’s earnest request in my childhood, I could have devoted myself to educating the rising generations up to now, while taking care of my husband and children. One day I told her about my intention to retire myself from my job as I was over 60 and take care of my grandchildren. She was in silence for a while, and advised me to repay the benefits of the country that brought me up and put me forward.

So, she has written tens of volumes of textbooks while teaching at the college for 46 years since her girlhood and trained many students into dependable pillars of the country.

At present, Hwang’s children are performing duties faithfully at their posts, in spite of far advanced ages for pensionary.

 

Thanks to the superior socialist system

What is amazing is not just her advanced age. She makes it part of her daily routine to read the newspaper Rodong Sinmun without help from glasses, to the surprise of all.

When she has visitors, she offers them tea and cakes and talks with them about her past life with a good memory for the years and dates. So, everyone is struck by her marvelous memory.

She always gets up early in the morning to breathe fresh air and cleans up the room. She often helps kitchen work, and regularly takes a certain amount of meat, egg, vegetable and fruit every day.

Whenever she is asked about the secret of her longevity, she answers: My parents died when I was a child. But, I have lived to be over a hundred, enjoying the benefits of our superior socialist system. I have nothing to worry about myself and my family members as our country gives free education to my children and puts them forward, and looks after my health all the year round.

The happiest time for her is in the evening when she receives phone calls from her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren living separately.

Having a chat with them about the happenings of the day and the stories introduced by the media, she asks them to work harder for the sake of their benevolent country.

She has 52 descendants, who work at different duties and posts, including a Labour Hero, PhDs, educators, manager, scientists and service personnel. 32 of them have graduated from universities, and the others are pupils and students at primary schools and junior and senior middle schools.

Most of them live in modern apartment houses for lecturers of Kim Il Sung University and those in Mirae Scientists Street and Ryomyong Street in the capital city of Pyongyang.

Prof. and Dr. Song Sun Ok, her second daughter who works as a head of a department of Pyongyang Teachers Training College, says: Thanks to my mother’s earnest request in my childhood, I could have devoted myself to educating the rising generations up to now, while taking care of my husband and children. One day I told her about my intention to retire myself from my job as I was over 60 and take care of my grandchildren. She was in silence for a while, and advised me to repay the benefits of the country that brought me up and put me forward.

So, she has written tens of volumes of textbooks while teaching at the college for 46 years since her girlhood and trained many students into dependable pillars of the country.

At present, Hwang’s children are performing duties faithfully at their posts, in spite of far advanced ages for pensionary.

Thanks to the superior socialist system

What is amazing is not just her advanced age. She makes it part of her daily routine to read the newspaper Rodong Sinmun without help from glasses, to the surprise of all.

When she has visitors, she offers them tea and cakes and talks with them about her past life with a good memory for the years and dates. So, everyone is struck by her marvelous memory.

She always gets up early in the morning to breathe fresh air and cleans up the room. She often helps kitchen work, and regularly takes a certain amount of meat, egg, vegetable and fruit every day.

Whenever she is asked about the secret of her longevity, she answers: My parents died when I was a child. But, I have lived to be over a hundred, enjoying the benefits of our superior socialist system. I have nothing to worry about myself and my family members as our country gives free education to my children and puts them forward, and looks after my health all the year round.

The happiest time for her is in the evening when she receives phone calls from her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren living separately.

Having a chat with them about the happenings of the day and the stories introduced by the media, she asks them to work harder for the sake of their benevolent country.

What is amazing is not just her advanced age. She makes it part of her daily routine to read the newspaper Rodong Sinmun without help from glasses, to the surprise of all.

When she has visitors, she offers them tea and cakes and talks with them about her past life with a good memory for the years and dates. So, everyone is struck by her marvelous memory.

She always gets up early in the morning to breathe fresh air and cleans up the room. She often helps kitchen work, and regularly takes a certain amount of meat, egg, vegetable and fruit every day.

Whenever she is asked about the secret of her longevity, she answers: My parents died when I was a child. But, I have lived to be over a hundred, enjoying the benefits of our superior socialist system. I have nothing to worry about myself and my family members as our country gives free education to my children and puts them forward, and looks after my health all the year round.

The happiest time for her is in the evening when she receives phone calls from her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren living separately.

Having a chat with them about the happenings of the day and the stories introduced by the media, she asks them to work harder for the sake of their benevolent country.