N.Korea to hold children's union congress after 5 yrs

Seoul, Dec 21

North Korea will convene a congress of a major youth group in Pyongyang for the first time in five years, according to its state media on Wednesday.

Members of the Korean Children's Union (KCU) across the country arrived in the capital on Tuesday to attend the 9th Congress of the KCU, the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, without specifying when the event will open.

"The Ninth Congress of the Korean Children's Union ... will mark a significant occasion in fully demonstrating the courageous spirit of the KCU members who are growing up to be reserves to shoulder the future of socialist Korea," Yonhap News Agency quoted the KCNA as saying in a report

The KCU's 8th Congress took place in June 2017, while the 7th was held in 2013.

The North's leader Kim Jong-un took part in both events.

The KCU, formed in 1946, is a youth organisation composed of children aged 7 to 13.

Its members are known for wearing red neckerchiefs.