Like the war itself, the reconstruction of both countries — including what to do with the orphans — became a part of the Cold War rivalry. At the same time the North Koreans were being sent for education in Eastern Europe, thousands of South Korean orphans were being adopted by families in North America and Western Europe. “At the time, the United States and the Soviet Union were competing such as who could first send people into space. When the North Koreans started arriving in Europe, the countries were still reeling from the devastation of World War II. The film shows Bulgarians giving flowers to North Korean children, clad in identical dark hats and jackets, upon their arrival in 1952.

Source: Daily Sun June 23, 2020 05:15 UTC