| The 13th World Festival of Youth and Students 제13차 세계청년학생축전 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Host country | North Korea |
| Date | 1989 |
| Cities | Pyongyang |
| Participants | 22,000, from 177 countries |
The 13th World Festival of Youth and Students (WFYS) was held from 1–8 July 1989 in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, and was organized by the World Federation of Democratic Youth. It was the largest international event staged in North Korea up until then.[1]
The event took four years of preparation by the North Korean government, which effectively spent a quarter of the country's yearly budget (US$4.5 billion) on it.[2] The government built elaborate stadiums, shipped in Mercedes-Benz vehicles to tote around foreigners, and undertook other expensive architectural projects. Ultimately declared as the largest ever World Festival of Youth and Students, about 22,000 people from 177 countries took part in the festival, including 100 people from the United States. For eight days starting on 1 July 1989, the students participated in political discussions, sports competitions, and other activities.[3] Many accounts described the festival as a reaction to Seoul's hosting of the 1988 Summer Olympics, which North Korea boycotted.[4]
This event was the last festival held during the Cold War era as waves of unrest began to occur throughout Central and Eastern Europe later on in the year.
- ^ Ouellette, Dean J (Spring 2020). "Understanding the Socialist Tourism of North Korea Under Kim Jong Un". North Korean Review. 16 (1). McFarland & Company: 63. ISSN 1551-2789. JSTOR 26912705.
- ^ Em, Pavel P.; Ward, Peter (January 2021). "City profile: is Pyongyang a post-socialist city?". Cities. 108. doi:10.1016/j.cities.2020.102950. ISSN 0264-2751.
- ^ Oh, Kong D. "North Korea's Response to the World: Is the Door Ajar?" (n.d.): 1–16. RAND. Web. 19 October 2015.
- ^ Lankov, Andrei. "Asia Times Online :: Korea News and Korean Business and Economy, Pyongyang News." Asia Times Online :: Korea News and Korean Business and Economy, Pyongyang News. Asia Times, 13 August 2011. Web. 19 October 2015.