North Korea Demonstrates Education Robots in the Classroom
2021-11-07
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1North Korea has demonstrated the use of educational robots to help students in subjects like English, math and music.
2A report by the country's state-run television station KRT showed several different robots being used in the classroom.
3North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been pushing for educational reforms in recent years.
4These have included increases in technological and scientific innovation.
5One robot that used a female voice could be heard in the TV report saying,
6"I help teach educational technology that enhances children's intelligence."
7The 80-centimeter tall machine moved its arms when it spoke.
8A second robot with a white round head showed a happy face on its screen.
9Another wore a blue plastic suit and had white glasses, the KRT video showed.
10Park Kum Hee is a professor at a university in Pyongyang.
11She told KRT that the development of the educational robots faced some difficulties in the beginning.
12For example, the robots would often shake their heads when asked questions in both Korean and foreign languages.
13"Upgrading this robot's intelligence was difficult for me as someone who majored in psychology," Park said.
14She added that the advice of Kim Jong Un to use artificial intelligence in educational settings had "always guided me on the right track."
15The KRT footage showed young students repeating after a robot in subjects related to English, math and music.
16Two children shown at the front of the class reacted to the robot.
17"Hello? Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you, too. What's your name?" the students said.
18The students shown were wearing masks. North Korea reopened schools in June of 2020.
19But a requirement was established for children to wear masks in class and washing stations were set up.
20The secretive country has not officially reported a single coronavirus case.
21But it has ordered several anti-virus measures, including closing borders and limiting travel within the country.
22I'm Bryan Lynn.
1North Korea has demonstrated the use of educational robots to help students in subjects like English, math and music. 2A report by the country's state-run television station KRT showed several different robots being used in the classroom. 3North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been pushing for educational reforms in recent years. These have included increases in technological and scientific innovation. 4One robot that used a female voice could be heard in the TV report saying, "I help teach educational technology that enhances children's intelligence." The 80-centimeter tall machine moved its arms when it spoke. 5A second robot with a white round head showed a happy face on its screen. Another wore a blue plastic suit and had white glasses, the KRT video showed. 6Park Kum Hee is a professor at a university in Pyongyang. She told KRT that the development of the educational robots faced some difficulties in the beginning. For example, the robots would often shake their heads when asked questions in both Korean and foreign languages. 7"Upgrading this robot's intelligence was difficult for me as someone who majored in psychology," Park said. 8She added that the advice of Kim Jong Un to use artificial intelligence in educational settings had "always guided me on the right track." 9The KRT footage showed young students repeating after a robot in subjects related to English, math and music. Two children shown at the front of the class reacted to the robot. "Hello? Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you, too. What's your name?" the students said. 10The students shown were wearing masks. North Korea reopened schools in June of 2020. But a requirement was established for children to wear masks in class and washing stations were set up. 11The secretive country has not officially reported a single coronavirus case. But it has ordered several anti-virus measures, including closing borders and limiting travel within the country. 12I'm Bryan Lynn. 13Reuters reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. 14We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. 15____________________________________________ 16Words in This Story 17innovation - n. the act or process of introducing new ideas, devices, or methods 18enhance - v. to improve something 19screen - n. the part of a television or computer that shows images or writing 20suit - n. a matching jacket and pants that are worn on the body 21on track - phr. making progress and likely to succeed 22mask - n. a face covering