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Thank-You Letter, Propaganda, and Vodka: Russian Children’s Life in North Korean Camp
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A group of Russian schoolchildren was made to write a letter of gratitude to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, thanking him for the opportunity to “enjoy” a summer vacation at the Songdowon International Children’s Camp on North Korean territory, according to a report by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
KCNA stated that the letter was read aloud on July 28 during a joint meeting of Russian and North Korean participants and was “respectfully handed over to responsible officials.” The event was attended by Kim Song Il, chairman of the Central Committee of the Socialist Patriotic Youth League of North Korea.
During what KCNA called a “Friendship Evening,” Russian children shared their impressions of meeting their North Korean peers and life at the camp. The session also featured a joint concert with musical and dance performances, which KCNA claimed helped “strengthen the feeling of friendship between the children of the two countries.”
The Russian–North Korean camp session began on July 22. Prior to its launch, Russian President Vladimir Putin personally thanked the North Korean leadership—and Kim Jong Un himself—for organizing the retreat for children whose fathers died fighting in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
This is not the first such visit. In 2024, around 250 Russian children from cities and regions, including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Voronezh, Lipetsk, Orenburg, Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk, Primorsky Krai, and Sakhalin, were also sent to the North Korean camp. That visit lasted from July 22 to August 2.
According to the Moscow Times, the Songdowon camp, located in the coastal city of Wonsan along the Sea of Japan, was built roughly 60 years ago. It spans 10 hectares and was renovated in 2014 to accommodate international youth programs. The camp boasts a beach with a water park and aquarium, a sports complex, a movie theater, and game rooms with air hockey tables and video games.
However, former attendees have painted a darker picture of life inside the camp. One Russian who visited in 2015–2016 described strict movement restrictions and daily propaganda routines. Children were reportedly forced to sing songs praising North Korea’s leaders and to clean their monuments.
As part of the ideological programming, campers were shown cartoons in which characters bombed the White House.
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According to the former camper, meals were monotonous and meager—"tiny pieces of chicken, almost no other meat,” occasionally accompanied by squid, rice, and sweet buns.
Despite their age, Russian children were reportedly able to purchase rice, vodka, and cigarettes from North Korean vendors without difficulty.
Earlier, reports emerged that North Korea was preparing to send additional troops to Russia as early as August 2025 in a move that could further deepen its military cooperation with Moscow during the ongoing war in Ukraine.
