- Russian children will attend a summer camp in North Korea at the end of July.
- The visit to the camp follows a strategic partnership agreement between North Korea and Russia.
- Songdowon International Children’s Camp regularly welcomes international schoolchildren.
A group of Russian schoolchildren will attend a summer camp in North Korea at the end of July.
The Songdowon International Children’s Camp has hosted international children in the past, but the latest move to host a group of Russian children comes amid growing ties between North Korea and Russia, following the signing of a partnership agreement between North Korea and Russia. a strategic partnership agreement last month between Vladimir Putin and Kim Jung Un.
Take a peek inside the sprawling campsite, which offers a rare glimpse into life in the hermit kingdom.
Wonsan Summer Camp has a maximum capacity of approximately 1,200 children.
According to Young Pioneer Tours, which runs tours of the campground, a 2014 renovation led by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un increased the Wonsan campground’s capacity to about 1,200 children.
Most of the children are North Korean, although some come from Russia, China and other parts of the world.
Rowan Beard, tour director for Young Pioneer Tours, told Business Insider that the camp has already accepted schoolchildren from Russia, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Mongolia, Mexico, and other countries.
A former camper told BI that North Korean children are largely separated from international visitors.
Yuri Frolov, a Russian who visited the camp in 2015 and 2016, told BI that the North Korean children were largely “separated” from the international campers.
He said they only met briefly on their last day of summer camp.
Some kids went because it seemed like a cheap beach vacation, says one former camper.
Frolov, who went to Songdowon to see North Korea for himself, told BI that many others in his group were there for a different reason: a chance to go on a beach vacation for very little money.
The summer camp is heavily subsidized by North Korea, and he said travel for visiting campers only costs about $300 to $400.
It also has a private beach.
The dormitories are supervised, but the children still get into mischief, says a former camper.
Frolov, the former camper, said it was easy for children to buy alcohol and cigarettes in North Korea.
Although the dorms were supervised, he said, that didn’t stop his cohort, most of whom were around 12 years old, from getting drunk during their first two nights at camp.
There are relics of the former leader of North Korea.
The camp was opened in 1960. Relics, such as a tent visited by Kim Jong Il, are on display there.
The camp was created to foster relations with foreign countries by welcoming their children.
The children sing propaganda songs about the country’s former supreme leaders, says a former camper.
International campers are still expected to participate in patriotic rituals.
Frolov, the former camper, said they had to sing songs in Korean about North Korea’s former leaders using Russian lyrics.
It would take place in a large concert hall called the International Children’s Friendship Hall, he said.
He added that they also had to polish a statue of North Korea’s founder.
Another unusual ritual, Frolov said, was polishing the statue of Kim Il Sung.
Although it was professionally cleaned every week, he said, he was expected to be polite to remove dust, as a sign of respect for the country’s founder.
There are many facilities on the spacious campsite.
The spacious campsite has many facilities including rides, an arcade, a climbing wall and an aquarium.
Sindok Aquarium is home to turtles and sharks.
The Sindok Aquarium was the first aquarium to be built in North Korea, according to aquarium company Marinescape.
According to Marinescape, it is a small project by international standards.
According to Aquamarine, who also worked on the construction, there are sharks and turtles.
There is also an aviary.
Songdowon also has an aviary. One visitor wrote on his blog that the birds, including lovebirds, lived in “very small enclosures.”
As in the photo, there are also some birds of prey.
As well as an exhibition room for stuffed animals.
According to the Korean American Friendship Association, Songdowon has an educational stuffed animal exhibition hall.
Among the exhibits is a stuffed goshawk, North Korea’s national bird, the group said.
Campers have access to an athletics track, as well as other sports facilities.
Songdowon has a running track and a playground. It also has a basketball court and an archery range so campers can stay active.
One camper said there were often swimming races.
According to North Korean state media, Kim Jong Un visited the summer camp in 2013 and ordered the construction of a new indoor swimming pool.
Frolov, who has attended the summer camp before, said campers often compete in swimming races.
There is a full-size water park, also allegedly requested by Kim Jong-un.
According to North Korea Leadership Watch, which tracks North Korean news, Kim Jong Un gave instructions to camp officials on how to improve the complex in 2014.
One request was to include sailboats so campers could enjoy water sports.
Songdowon has a full-size water park with slides and a boating lake.
There are also cooking classes.
Campers can learn how to cook traditional Korean dishes.
But the food is not good, said one former camper.
Frolov, a former camper, told BI that he struggled to find the food he wanted to eat. He explained that he survived mainly on rice, bread and potato wedges.
He said that about once a week seafood was offered, but otherwise the food was bland or downright tasteless.
Russian children will be able to experience Songdowong again this summer.
A group of Russian children are expected to stay in Songdowong from late July to early August.
This will be the first trip in a while, as summer camp trips have been suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Grigory Gurov, Chairman of the First Movement, told the official Russian news agency RIA Novosti that the conditions there will be “excellent”.
