(North Korea, 3rd) North Korean state media reports that Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un met with representatives of the Socialist Patriotic Youth League. The North Korean government once again emphasized that youth are crucial both in domestic mobilization and in their military role in the Russia-Ukraine war.
On Sunday (May 3), KCNA reported that Kim Jong Un, the previous day in Pyongyang, met with representatives attending the 11th Congress of the Socialist Patriotic Youth League. The congress is held every five years and aims to mobilize North Korean citizens aged 14 to 30.
Kim Jong Un told the attending representatives that youth are the “vanguard” in advancing North Korea’s national goals, and that the Socialist Patriotic Youth League is a key force in implementing the decisions of the Workers’ Party.
He also urged the representatives to strengthen organizational and ideological discipline, instructing them to handle every aspect of league work well and to educate and nurture all youth properly.
He also urged the representatives to strengthen organizational and ideological discipline, instructing them to handle every aspect of league work well and to educate and nurture all youth properly.
In a letter issued by the ruling Workers’ Party on Friday (the 1st), the loyalty of youth was explicitly linked to Pyongyang’s participation in the Russia-Ukraine war, saying that young soldiers sent overseas have “become bombs and fire” in defending the country's honor.
Reuters reported that South Korean, Ukrainian, and Western officials estimate that North Korea has sent about 14,000 soldiers to the Kursk region to fight alongside Russian forces, with more than 6,000 North Korean soldiers killed. In April, Kim Jong Un unveiled a new memorial in Pyongyang for the fallen soldiers.
Kim Jong Un regards youth policy as a pillar of social stability. North Korean authorities are increasingly tightening control over foreign cultural influences, with heightened oversight of youth. Access to South Korean music, movies, and slang is regarded as a serious political crime.
Reuters reported that South Korean, Ukrainian, and Western officials estimate that North Korea has sent about 14,000 soldiers to the Kursk region to fight alongside Russian forces, with more than 6,000 North Korean soldiers killed. In April, Kim Jong Un unveiled a new memorial in Pyongyang for the fallen soldiers.
Kim Jong Un regards youth policy as a pillar of social stability. North Korean authorities are increasingly tightening control over foreign cultural influences, with heightened oversight of youth. Access to South Korean music, movies, and slang is regarded as a serious political crime.