N. Korea deepens ties with Russia, China at camp believed linked to Russian abduction of Ukrainian children

Children take part in a ceremony at the Songdowon International Children's Camp in the North's eastern coastal city of Wonsan, Sunday, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency the next day. Yonhap

Children from China and Russia have joined a North Korean youth camp, Pyongyang's state media reported Monday, in a sign of closer informal cooperation among the three countries.

The ties have appeared to grow closer since China's 80th Victory Day anniversary, where North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin stood alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping at a military parade in Beijing in September.

"Camping groups of schoolchildren of the DPRK, Russia and China are taking part in the camping at the Songdowon International Children's Camp," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, using North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The opening ceremony was held Sunday, according to the report.

The report gave no details on the activities, but the camp is widely believed to serve North Korea's propaganda efforts. China did not appear to have participated in the 2023 and 2024 editions, based on KCNA reports.

Built in 1960 in the eastern coastal city of Wonsan, the camp has long been a tool for instilling loyalty to the regime in young people, and the reputation has drawn international scrutiny.

Britain added the camp to its sanctions list in May, citing its suspected role in Russian-led deportations and indoctrination of Ukrainian children.

A Ukrainian news outlet reported in December, citing a legal expert, that at least two Ukrainian children believed to have been abducted by Russian troops in Ukraine have been forcibly transferred to the camp.