Vladimir Putin is reportedly sending Russian children to a summer camp in North Korea, where they will be expected to polish statues of leaders and undergo forced exercises.
The plans were announced by Grigory Gurov, head of Putin’s First Youth Movement organization, despite objections from Russian parents concerned about sending their children to North Korea, according to the Telegraph.
But Gurov insisted: “Conditions are good there.”
The children will reportedly visit the Songdowon camp on the country’s east coast, which is a mix between a Disney-themed water park and a guesthouse with early wake-up calls.
This is the latest sign that relations between Putin and Kim Jong Un are flourishing following the Russian leaders’ visit to North Korea last month.
Vladimir Putin (left, pictured with Kim Jong Un) is reportedly sending Russian children to a summer camp in North Korea, where they are expected to polish statues of leaders and undergo forced exercises.
Children participate in a cooking class at Songdowon International School Children’s Camp on August 22, 2018 in Wonsan, North Korea
Schoolchildren play in the water at the Songdowon International Children’s Camp in the city of Wonsan, North Korea, in this undated photo released by the Korean Central News Agency.
At Songdowon, built by Kim’s grandfather in 1960, children will have to get up at 6.30am and start the day by cleaning the statues of Kim’s father and grandfather, North Korea’s former dictators.
“We received special attention and were not given brooms, but special pads and allowed to clean the statue,” wrote Artem Samsonov, a former Communist Party official, about his visit to the camp in 2015.
Samsonov, who was jailed in 2022 for abusing a child, also posted photographs of Russian children polishing a statue.
He also revealed that children have to participate in mandatory exercises, other cleaning tasks and state-approved lessons.
Although they may also go to a discotheque, they will most likely be fed nothing more than soup, rice and potatoes every day, according to Samsonov.
Sending Russian children to North Korea for summer camp signals that Putin is taking a step closer to getting closer to Kim.
Last month, North Korea promised to send military personnel to Ukraine within a few weeks to support Putin’s war-weary forces as both sides struggle to make a decisive breakthrough.
Pyongyang will take an unprecedented step of sending construction and engineering forces into occupied Ukraine in early July to help with reconstruction work, South Korean broadcaster TV Chosun reported, citing a government official.
The unusual pledge of foreign support follows President Vladimir Putin’s official state visit to North Korea – the first in almost a quarter of a century – which culminated in the signing of a so-called defense pact on June 19.
The treaty obliges its signatories to provide “military and other assistance with all means at their disposal without delay” should any of them find themselves “in a state of war by armed invasion.”
The dormitory lobby of the Songdowon International Children’s Camp is painted in pastel colors, Tuesday, July 29, 2014, in Wonsan, North Korea.
Kim Jong Un is pictured during an earlier visit to the Songdowon camp
North Korean girls wearing similar swimsuits stand under a shower at the Songdowon International Children’s Camp, Tuesday, July 29, 2014, in Wonsan, North Korea.
During his visit, Putin reportedly made a promise to send children from his First Youth Movement organization to North Korea.
Created in 2022 after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Putin aims to closely align children with the Kremlin’s ideology.
Members can be seen wearing red berets and matching neck scarves and are often given flags to carry during state functions.
But many of the children’s parents have expressed concerns about sending their children to North Korea, even if only for a summer camp.
One father joked on social media that his son’s only way out would be to “walk through the jungle to South Korea.”
Another user tried to reassure fellow parents, saying the camp was “nice” and offered pools and water parks after she stayed there in 2017.
He even compared it to Artek, a Russian youth camp in occupied Crimea: “Just a different culture and completely without the Internet.”