The 27th World Memory Championships took place in Hong Kong of China in late December last year. The championships lasted for three days with 10 items including playing cards memory, random words memory, abstract patterns and graphics memory, and faces and names memory.
The championships brought together hundreds of players from different countries and regions including three students of Kim Hyong Jik University of Education of Korea. Of them, Pang Un Sim and Ri Song Mi won the International Grand Master of Memory.
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has been conducting intellectual competitions every year, including items and standards applied at the World Memory Championships. In the course, many intellectual aces, masters of memory, have been produced. Among them are the students who attended the recent World Memory Championships.
Cha Yong Ho, Teacher of Kim Hyong Jik University of Education, says: “Our students took part in the championships for the first time, but they achieved great successes. During the championships, nine new world records were set up, of which four were made by three students of our university, and two of them won the International Grand Master of Memory. Such success was an important occasion showing the advantages of our socialist educational system and the high level of education, I think.”
In the DPRK all forms of education are given free of charge. A well-organized meritocracy has been established and the state fully provides all the educational conditions needed for it.
-Korean students have wonderfully decorated the championships. I can see the high level of education of Korea. -I want to learn in the DPRK. -The future of Korea will be brighter thanks to such intellectual aces.
These were the unanimous voices of the participants in the championships.
Pang Un Sim won five gold medals, coming first in the senior group event, and Ri Song Mi bagged two gold medals.
Pang Un Sim says: “I became winner several times in national competitions. As I attended the international competition for the first time, I was not sure of the victory. But when I saw the flag of the DPRK at the venue of the competition, I was determined to demonstrate the honour of the motherland and it encouraged me. But for the spiritual strength and the kind help of my teacher and colleagues, I would not have won the championships.”
Ri Song Mi says: “Through the championships, we could have the confidence that we can hold the world championships and stand first in the world.”
The winners of the International Grand Master of Memory have grown up in the socialist educational system of Korea.
The seed which took root in the fertile land will bear a good fruit.