New EU Sanctions Target North Korean Camp Involved in Abducted Ukrainian Children Transfers

Brussels: Russia has been sending abducted Ukrainian children to a summer camp in North Korea, according to a European Union document seen by RFE/RL, outlining a new round of planned sanctions. The document lists people and entities to be included in new EU sanctions on Russia, which are expected to be approved next week. According to Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty, the people proposed for sanctioning are mainly leading officials in Russian-occupied territories in Crimea and Donbas. However, perhaps the most remarkable entry on the list is the Songdowon International Children's Camp, which is run by the North Korean authorities. The document notes that this camp participates in organized programs involving the transfer of Ukrainian children from temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine to North Korea. The transfers are coordinated by Russian officials, and while they are supposed to be cultural exchanges, the document notes that they "serve a broader propagandistic function: Ukrainian children are expos ed to curated pro-Russian narratives." In other words, the document adds, the camp "is directly involved in the unlawful transfer, ideological indoctrination, and militarization of Ukrainian children in coordination with the Russian Federation." The camp is located on the east coast of North Korea, on the Sea of Japan, some 95 kilometers from the border with South Korea. Uri Tours, a North Korean company promoting the camp, says it is the largest in the country and was opened in 1960 for "promoting international friendship." The camp was previously sanctioned by the United Kingdom in May for "providing support for the government of Russia's program for the forced deportation and re-education of Ukrainian children." North Korea responded by recalling its ambassador to London and downgrading relations. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for the "unlawful deportation...of Ukrainian children." The involvement of North Korea in Russia's campai gn of abducting children appears to ratchet up its role in the war. North Korea sent an estimated 12,000 troops to fight alongside Russian forces in 2024 following Ukraine's incursion into the Kursk region. South Korean intelligence has reported that around 2,000 North Korean troops have been killed in fighting. Recently, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said more North Korean troops would be sent to Russia, possibly to operate ballistic missiles manufactured by Pyongyang in attacks on Ukraine. The other entities listed in the EU's sanctions list are other so-called summer camps in either Russia or in occupied regions of Ukraine. According to the bloc, children taken there are exposed to programs that push loyalty to Russia, Russian national identity, adoption of Russian national values, military historical themes, and participation in activities linked to military-patriotic organizations. The document notes that these sorts of deportations constitute grave breaches of international law and a violatio n of the fundamental rights of the child with the aim to erase Ukrainian identity and undermine the preservation of its future generations.