Russian Schoolchildren Forced To Write A Thank-you Letter To Kim Jong-un
- 29.07.2025, 12:25
To "vacationing" in the DPRK.
A group of Russian schoolchildren has sent a letter to DPRK leader Kim Jong-un thanking him for the opportunity to "enjoy" their vacation at the Sondowon children's camp in the republic, the Korean Central Telegraphic Agency (KCTAK) reported. According to its data, the letter was read out on July 28 at a meeting of shift participants from Russia and the DPRK and "respectfully" handed over to "responsible workers." The event was attended by the chairman of the central committee of the Socialist Union of Patriotic Youth of the DPRK Kim Song Il, reports The Moscow Times.
In the course of the "Evening of Friendship," according to the CTAC, the Russian schoolchildren shared their impressions of their acquaintance with their Korean peers and of life in the camp. The participants also prepared a joint concert, where they performed dance and musical numbers, which "strengthened the feeling of friendship between the children of the two countries." The Russian-Korean shift started at the Sondowon camp on July 22. Before that, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed gratitude to the leadership of the DPRK and personally to Kim Jong-un for organizing recreation for the children of the fallen participants in the war against Ukraine.
In 2024, Russian children were also sent to the North Korean camp. Then the republic was visited by about 250 schoolchildren from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Voronezh, Lipetsk, Orenburg regions, Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk, Primorsky Krai and Sakhalin. They stayed at the camp from July 22 to August 2.
"Sondovon" was built about 60 years ago in Wonsan, Korea, on the shore of the Sea of Japan. The camp covers an area of 10 hectares. It was reconstructed in 2014 and opened to receive children. Sondowon has a beach with a water park and oceanarium, a sports complex, a movie theater, a room with video games and air hockey tables.
One of the Russians who visited the camp in 2015-2016 said that being there was accompanied by severe restrictions on movement and daily propaganda activities. As part of the latter, children were forced to sing songs in honor of Korean leaders and clean their monuments. They were also shown a cartoon whose characters bombed the U.S. White House.
According to the Russian, they were fed the same food in the camp - "tiny pieces of chicken, almost no other meat," sometimes squid with rice and muffins. At the same time, North Koreans freely sold rice vodka and cigarettes to the schoolchildren.