North Korea unveiled additional footage on
December 10th of the five other members from the nine young defectors who had
been forcibly repatriated last year in May from Laos en route to Seoul. This
came a day after the North initially released images of four members on a
state-run propaganda website.
In a video series entitled “We have our mother: we will follow her forever,” uploaded on Pyongyang’s propaganda website
Uriminzokkiri TV, footage of Moon Chol, Jeong Kwang Yong, Ryu Kwang Hyok, and
Baek Kwang Hyok studying at Yeongung Hyesan No. 1 Middle School was made
public.
“Currently, Moon Chol, Jeong Kwang Yong,
Ryu Kwang Hyok, and Baek Kwang Hyok are studying at Yeongung Hyesan No. 1
Middle School, and Baek Yong Won [male], who has maintained a keen interest in
arts since his youth, is attending arts school at Hamheung University of
Education, using his talent to the fullest,” it
reported. It added, “[their] hopes and talents are
blooming like blossoms on the school grounds brightly lit by the sun.”
In the video [screen captures of the students above; Images: Uriminzokkiri TV] each of the teenagers said, “I’m doing well with nothing to worry about.
I’m very happy to have a motherly teacher and a
grandmother that cooks hot meals for me every day,” and
that “it’s fun to study because
the teacher works with me every day.”
When asked by a Chosun Central Television reporter whether they had met
other friends [presumably the other members of the “Laos 9”], they responded, “We talked to other friends that are studying in Pyongyang three days
ago over the phone. They told us their friends are nice to them and that they’re well and healthy with no problems.”
Most of them said, “I’m able to study with nothing to envy
thanks to the warm love of our Marshal,” with some
vowing to “join the Korean People’s Army after graduation to become someone who can protect the
Marshal.”
One boy, Baek Kwang Hyuk, said that because
his poor eyesight prevents his dream of serving in the military from coming to
fruition, he will instead go to college to pay the Marshal back for his doting
love.
“The children are speaking freely and honestly because the South
continues to lie that something has happened to all of them,” the narrative went, denying reports claiming that the young defectors had either been executed
or sent to prison camps, referring to them as
manipulations.”
“We heard of those rumors as well. I don’t know who would spread rumors like that, but we are living with
everything that we need in the arms of our Marshal who has saved us from the
hands of death,” one of the youths said. “Some of use said in the morning we should go beat up the people who
started such rumors.”
Baek
Yong Won also featured in the video, attending arts school at the Hamheung University of Education. “To repay the Marshal for his kindness, I’m
focusing only on my studies and will return the love I received,” he said. “All I can think about is how I
should only trust the Marshal and follow that path to repay him.”
Pyongyang is believed to have released this
footage in order to counter mounting international criticism brought on after reports were released speculating that the defectors had either been
executed or sent to prison camps. Moreover, as the North Korean human rights draft
resolution is expected to pass at the UN General Assembly plenary session on the 18th, and potentially go on to the Security Council’s agenda, the North is thought to be employing the video as a strategy to denounce the moves as unjust.
