Park watches Russian documentary on life in North Korea

President Park Geun-hye watched a movie Thursday about life inside North Korea, a move the presidential office said showed Park's interest in North Korean children as South Korea marked Children's Day.

Russian documentary maker Vitaly Mansky's latest work "Under the Sun" reveals that life in the isolated communist country is stage-managed by the North Korean authorities.

The movie revolves around Zin-Mi, a schoolgirl who joined the Korean Children's Union on the birthday of former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, known as the Day of the Shining Star. Kim is the late father of the current leader Kim Jong-un whom North Korean state media described as "the great sun of the 21st century."

Park went to a local theater in southern Seoul, along with her top aides and some 50 people, including North Korean defectors.

Cheong Wa Dae, South Korea's presidential office, said Park's move highlights her interest in the true lives of North Korean children and the human rights situation there.

North Korea marks International Children's Day on June 1.

North Korea's state propaganda claims North Korea is a paradise, but the communist country has long been accused of grave human rights abuses, ranging from holding political prisoners in concentration camps to committing torture and carrying out public executions.

Also Thursday, Park met with about 300 children at the presidential garden of Nokjiwon as part of Children's Day celebrations.

Park told the children to pursue their dreams as she introduced an innovation center and a test-free semester program.

South Korea has set up a total of 17 innovation centers in major cities across the country to encourage creative and entrepreneurial people to turn their ideas into real businesses with the help of cutting-edge science and information technology.

South Korea introduced a test-free semester program in 2013 to provide middle school students with chances to experience a wide range of learning activities for their future careers.

Under the program, schools will shift the focus away from test scores and engage students through discussions, experiments, outdoor activities and team projects.

The one-semester program represents a big change in a country where students tend to rely on rote learning that critics say is to blame for a lack of creativity and critical thinking. (Yonhap)