June 6 this year marks the 77 th founding anniversary of the Korean Children’s Union.

On this meaningful day, all members of the Union are having a deep yearning for President Kim Il Sung , who loved children so dearly and devoted his heart and soul to giving them all the happiness of the world during his lifetime.

Pyongyang Schoolchildren’s Palace – the first palace built for the children under the meticulous leadership of President Kim Il Sung – also tells an unforgettable story of love.

Before the liberation, the children of this country never had a chance to come into bloom, but instead were forced to wither away, being kicked and trampled underfoot by Japanese imperialists like pebbles on streets.

Such a miserable history was put an end to when President Kim Il Sung accomplished the great cause of national liberation. He regarded our children as the kings and queens of the country and the world’s most precious beings.

Although every penny counted for the newly founded state, President Kim Il Sung initiated building a palace of the children on the money donated for the construction of the country.

President Kim Il Sung said a palace is meant for kings, but in our liberated country, our lovely young generation are the kings of the country who has the right to live in palaces. He personally chose the site for the building on Jangdae Hill, which gives a bird’s-eye view of Pyongyang.

This is how the palace for the children, the first of its kind in the history, was built on the liberated fatherland.

When the building was reduced to ruins in the flames of war just before its opening, President Kim Il Sung climbed Jangdae Hill despite the bitter cold of midwinter to map out a plan to build a bigger and more splendid palace after winning a victory in the war.

A Cabinet decision thereafter was announced on building a children’s palace in Pyongyang and a children’s hall in Kaesong in January, 1956 - the year of difficulties for our Party and people after the war.

Later, President Kim Il Sung reviewed the general blueprint of the children’s palace drawn by the designers, and gave guidance on several occasions to revise and perfect the design. He said we should build the grandest palace in the world, as it is the palace for our children who are the kings of the country.

As a result, the design of the palace was completed into a grand edifice with a total floor space of 50,000 sq meters – more than 6 times its initial design of 8,200 sq meters.

When the palace was under construction, President Kim Il Sung visited the construction site and bestowed boundless love, saying that they had been talking about building a palace for the children from the time when they were fighting against the Japanese imperialists on the mountain, and that the palace should be built into literally a royal palace, using all the best building materials in the world, be it marble or diamond.

Thanks to such great love and care, Pyongyang School Children's Palace was completed into a magnificent and modern building which serves as an all-purpose extracurricular education center equipped with rooms for different circles, a theatre, gymnasium, library, etc. It was indeed the first palace for the kings and queens of the country.

President Kim Il Sung bestowed all benevolence on our children, saying that he felt energized just looking at the light coming from the windows of the school children's palace. Today his love for children is carried on by respected Comrade Kim Jong Un .

Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un saw to it that extracurricular education bases including Mangyongdae School Children's Palace, Songdowon International Children’s Camp and Mangyongdae Children's Camp were given a facelift in conformity with the requirements of the new century, saying that beloved members of the Children's Union are priceless treasure and the entirety of hope and future.

Our schoolchildren, the future of the country, are giving full play to their talents in these extracurricular educational centers enjoying the undying love and care for them.

Indeed, as we hold in high esteem the great leaders from generation to generation, happy laughter and singing of children will resound forever through the palaces for many years to come.