"Cleaning Kim Il-sung Statue and Destroying the White House Game"... North Korean Camp Experience Story Gains Attention

Interview with Russian youth Yuri Prolov
"Many things felt fake and boring"

A Russian youth shared his experience participating in a North Korean youth summer international camp in the past.

Recently, American media outlets CNN and Business Insider released an interview with Yuri Prolov (25), originally from Russia, who attended the Songdowon International Children's Camp in Wonsan, Gangwon Province, North Korea, twice in the summers of 2015 and 2016.

Yuri Prolov during his participation in a North Korean youth camp.
Photo by Yuri Prolov

Prolov was curious about North Korea after watching documentaries about the country during his childhood. In high school, he joined a group called "Solidarity with North Korea" on Russia's social network VKontakte. Through this group, he participated in a 15-day summer camp held in North Korea. The cost to attend the camp was relatively affordable, about $500 (approximately 690,000 KRW) at the time.

Prolov personally traveled from Saint Petersburg to Vladivostok and then traveled with other children and Communist Party officials, he recalled.

He said that children from various countries such as Laos, Nigeria, Tanzania, and China were present at the camp. He met North Korean children only once on the last day of the camp and felt there was an intention to prevent communication between them.

He stayed in Pyongyang for the first two days but was constantly under surveillance. He was frequently taken to shops selling goods, possibly to encourage spending money. He recalled that even participants under the age of 12 could easily buy alcohol and cigarettes in North Korea and that many were intoxicated during the first few days.

While the camp included ordinary programs such as beach picnics and sandcastle building contests, he explained there were unique parts like waking up at 6 a.m. to attend concerts where they dusted off statues of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il and sang songs praising North Korean leaders.

He also mentioned playing an online game where a hamster riding a tank destroys the U.S. White House. When he asked a North Korean student, "Who do you shoot at?" the student replied, "Our sworn enemies, the Americans." When Prolov asked, "If I say I am American, do you want to shoot me too?" the student answered "Yes" without hesitation.

Prolov expressed dissatisfaction with the strict control and rigid schedule. He felt bored during the camp and lost 5 kg over the 15 days because the food did not suit his taste. He was also angry because they made him do morning exercises even when he was sick.

He said, "Many things felt fake. It wasn’t a terrible experience but it was boring," and added, "Except for the lack of internet, it felt like a camp held in Russia."

Prolov wondered why his parents allowed him to go but said he was grateful to be able to talk about his experience in North Korea.

CNN interpreted North Korea’s summer camps as efforts to mix cultural exchange with propaganda to brainwash young people’s minds. Earlier this year, after the COVID-19 pandemic, 100 Russian citizens traveled to North Korea for the first time.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.