In July 1989, the 13th edition of the World Festival of Youth and Students was held in Pyongyang, North Korea. Nearly 22,000 young people from 177 socialist, Western and non-allied countries took part in more than 1,000 debates, cultural and sporting events. But above all, the festival was political in nature, addressing issues such as the anti-imperialist struggle, peace and nuclear disarmament, environmental issues, women's and children's rights. The Romanian youth delegation was the guest of honor at the North Korean festival because the two countries were in a friendly relationship, with supreme leader Kim Ir-sen himself visiting the Romanian National Club. The festival was opening its doors amid geopolitical tensions that would mark its smooth course, less than a month after the protests of Chinese students in the Tiananmen Square and at the same time with the appearance of the first cracks in the Iron Curtain.