Czechoslovakia accepted 900 North Korean orphans as a gesture of humanitarian solidarity in two waves. The first group—200 children aged 9 to 15—arrived on May 2, 1952. The second, much larger group of 700 children aged 11 to 16 followed on July 12, 1953, both before the Armistice Agreement was concluded. The decision followed consultations with Hungary and Poland, the first countries to accept such children in 1951, and an assessment of the situation in Korea. Documents suggest some children may not have been orphans in the strictest sense, despite official reports. Many of them suffered from illnesses and post-traumatic stress.

The Czechoslovak Red Cross played a key role in receiving the orphans, though major decisions rested with the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia Central Committee and relevant ministries—education and health. The Ministry of Education first provided Líšno Castle, about 50 km from Prague, but it proved inadequate, so the children moved to a facility in Houštka (renamed “The Kim Il-sung Home” after his 1956 visit). Homes for the second group were established in Liběšice (220 children), Jindřichov (160), Valč (159), and Chocerady (71), with smaller numbers in Budkov near Moravské Budějovice (90), from where children later moved to Mošovce along with a small group from Valč (totaling 110 in Mošovce).

Korean teachers arrived with the pupils to oversee their political education, while Czech educators managed care in the homes. After basic Czech language training, most children attended Czech schools, either in separate groups or with local children. In some cases, dedicated classes for Korean pupils were created exclusively for them. For leisure, children engaged in singing, dancing, photography, modeling, and sewing—with educators’ help, they made their own Korean garments (hanbok). They often staged various performances at holidays, went on excursions, and attended international peace camps in summer, meeting war-affected Greek children and those of Spanish or Italian emigrants.

After completing basic education, pupils were to be placed in vocational schools and secondary schools, primarily those with a technical focus. However, only a small percentage of Korean children were able to pursue higher education in Czechoslovakia. Repatriation began abruptly in autumn 1957, shortly after the entire year of primary graduates started the new school year. The process continued systematically until 1959, when the last children’s home closed. The final group of repatriated children received gifts from state enterprises and the National Security Corps, which had sponsored the homes and provided support for leisure activities and equipment (such as bicycles, radios, pianos, and sewing machines).