All people belong to the neighbourhood units in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

They live harmoniously like members of the same family, working hard and helping each other to build up their villages beautifully.

Neighbourhood Unit No. 13 in Kumsong-dong No. 2, Mangyongdae District of Pyongyang, is a model one in the city.

In front of its apartment house are a lovely garden with all kinds of flowers in bloom and a resting place shadowed by bush roses.

Swaying in the yard are various species of trees including cryptomeria with a carpet of lilyturfs under them.

Old Han Kil Suk living in flat 1 on the sixth floor said they felt distressed when it rained because the land under the cryptomerias turned muddy, and continued:

"We were so crossed that we planted turfs several times, but they died. Then we came to know that lilyturf grows well even in the shade. So we got lilyturfs one by one and planted them and now ours is called 'lilyturf village'."

In this way, Han Kil Suk started to build up her village, planting and tending various kinds of flowers and good species of trees with some other old people.

According to Jon Il Suk living in flat 1 on the eighth floor, all members of the neighbourhood unit were moved to see the old people and followed their example.

"I felt sorry to see Han Kil Suk and other old people always cultivate flowers and plant trees and I helped them from time to time. So did many other inhabitants. In the course, they got familiar with each other and actively turned out in the work for the neighbourhood unit.

Building up the village was the first step towards patriotism, I think."

Now it is a trend of the inhabitants that if they see a tree of good species, they bring and plant it around their apartment house.

Last year, one hundred and tens of inhabitants of the neighbourhood unit enjoyed themselves at the Yangdok Hot Spring Resort all together.

They were so grateful for the benefits of the state for the people that they responded to the call of the head of the neighbourhood unit for doing more good things.

A new life started in the neighbourhood unit.

All its inhabitants volunteered to take care of the surroundings of the native home of the great leader Kim Il Sung, father of socialist Korea, in Mangyongdae, and rendered assistance to housing construction sites in the capital city and to the People's Army.

The harmony and unity of the neighbourhood unit grew stronger in the course of finding out and doing good things for the country with a single mind and purpose.

Old Kim Hye Suk living in flat 1 on the fourth floor said her husband celebrated his 70th birthday in February and the whole neighbourhood unit congratulated him. She went on:

"Everyone congratulates others on their birthdays or happy events and gives medicines or special foods to the patients so that they can recover from illness soon. Like this, all the members of the neighbourhood unit are living a harmonious life. I wanted to talk about it."

What a harmonious neighbourhood unit!

The single-hearted unity of our society consolidated with love and affection is based on the harmony and unity of the neighbourhood units.