Pyongyang: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has sent an educational aid fund and stipends to an association of pro-Pyongyang residents in Japan to mark the 114th birthday of late state founder Kim Il-sung, the North's state media reported Tuesday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim dispatched a total of 316.4 million yen (US$1.98 million) to the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan. This funding is aimed at supporting the "democratic national education of Korean children in Japan" in honor of the founder's birthday on April 15, as reported by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Since assuming leadership in late 2011, Kim Jong-un has consistently provided educational aid funds and scholarships to the association annually, coinciding with his late grandfather's birthday celebrations. The KCNA reported that Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il, and Kim Jong-un collectively have contributed 50.3 billion yen on 172 occasions to support the children of pro-Pyongyang ethnic Koreans in Japan.
Experts suggest that Kim Jong-un's initiative to provide educational assistance is likely aimed at garnering loyalty from young ethnic Koreans residing in Japan. This group holds particular significance as Kim Jong-un's late mother, Ko Yong-hui, was also a Korean resident in Japan, a group perceived with a lower societal status within North Korea.