＜Inside N. Korea＞ Soldiers Returned from Russia Deployed on Tour to Promote "Military Spirit" and "Heroism" (2) Propaganda Lectures Delivered to High School Students and Parents — "We Fought with Our Lives as Soldiers of the Marshal"

◆ "If I Die, Will My Parents Get to Go to Pyongyang?"

— How did the students and parents react?

The students cried as they listened. As the mother was leaving the hall, she overheard a student say, "If I sacrifice myself, will my parents get to go to Pyongyang?" Many parents were also in tears.

※ North Korean state media has reported that Kim Jong-un arranged for the families of soldiers killed in Russia to be given residence in Pyongyang.

◆ Parents Who Don't Want Their Sons Made into Heroes

— So the propaganda appears to have been effective on the students.

Not necessarily. The mother who attended the event said: "This is the season for People's Army conscription, and because word has spread that enormous numbers of soldiers were killed in Russia, more and more students are trying to delay enlistment or avoid it by claiming illness. It seems like they're using the returned soldiers' lectures to drum up enlistment."

Among the parents at the event, some were heard to say: "I don't want my son turned into a hero. Even if they offer something in return, I don't want him sent to war. What good is it to die and become a hero?" Going forward, "Heroes' Boards" are to be installed in all schools, and regular study sessions on the soldiers' spirit are to be held.

According to the reporting partner, the propaganda — which frames not only the fallen but also returning soldiers as heroes deserving generous treatment — appears aimed at cultivating a military spirit willing to lay down one's life "for the homeland" and "for Kim Jong-un." This cannot help but call to mind the ethos of the former Imperial Japanese military.

The South Korean government estimates that more than 15,000 North Korean soldiers have been deployed to Russia, with approximately 2,000 killed. The North Korean government has not disclosed the scale of the deployment or the number of casualties.

※ ASIAPRESS communicates with its reporting partners through Chinese cell phones smuggled into North Korea.