North Korean state media celebrated the sacrifices of children as young as 11 years old who retraced the alleged steps of Kim Il Sung and walked 216 miles (348 km) from the Chinese border down to Pyongyang. 

The children reportedly chanted loyalty slogans as they marched in the biennial event, meant to signal to other youth nationwide the sorts of sacrifices the state expects of them. 

Right after the children walked almost the entire length of North Korea, they began a new school year, with state media celebrating the start of the academic semester on April 1. Reports featured