{"id":57257,"date":"2026-06-18T15:23:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T15:23:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/57257\/"},"modified":"2026-06-18T15:23:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T15:23:14","slug":"troops-deployed-to-russia-glorified-in-nk-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/57257\/","title":{"rendered":"Troops deployed to Russia glorified in NK art"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Family<\/a>Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the Workers’ Party of Korea, reported on April 27 that a completion ceremony for the Overseas Military Operations Combat Merit Memorial Hall was held with solemnity on April 26, timed to mark the first anniversary of the conclusion of Russia’s Kursk liberation operation, in which North Korean troops took part. (Photo: Rodong Sinmun-News1)<\/p>\n

North Korea\u2019s leading art<\/a> universities ordered graduating students<\/a> in early June 2026 to create works glorifying the heroism and sacrifice of troops<\/a> deployed to Russia<\/a> to fight in its war<\/a> against Ukraine<\/a>, with many students calling the politically charged assignment a heavy burden, according to sources inside the country.<\/p>\n

According to a source who spoke to Daily NK on Tuesday, the Pyongyang<\/a> Kim Won Gyun University<\/a> of Music<\/a> and Dance and the Pyongyang University of Dramatic and Cinematic Arts assigned graduating classes early this month to create works highlighting the sacrifice of soldiers<\/a> who fought in the Russia-Ukraine war and portraying them as heroes. The Kim Won Gyun school<\/a>, named after the composer who wrote North Korea\u2019s national anthem and other revolutionary songs, trains<\/a> musicians, dancers and other performers bound for state-run art troupes, while the drama<\/a> and film university is the country\u2019s primary training ground for actors and filmmakers.<\/p>\n

The assignment has stirred particular unease among graduating students at the Kim Won Gyun university.<\/p>\n

The source said vocal majors had previously prepared a designated song and a freely chosen piece, typically a number from a revolutionary opera paired with a piece suited to their specialty, while instrumental majors in Western or traditional Korean music prepared a foreign piece and a freely chosen piece. This year, however, students were told to compose an original ensemble work<\/a> themselves rather than perform individually.<\/p>\n

Producing an ensemble piece requires far more than preparing music, the source said, since students must take full responsibility for composition, arrangement, group performance<\/a> and even stage direction. Many graduating students were visibly flustered by the assignment, the source added, with some turning red in the face as they struggled with how demanding the task felt.<\/p>\n

Graduating students at the Pyongyang University of Dramatic and Cinematic Arts were also caught off guard by the assignment, but they are said to be handling it<\/a> more calmly than their counterparts in music and dance. The source attributed this to the drama and film university\u2019s in-house production unit, which gives students regular experience with collective, state-directed work on political themes, leaving them less anxious than music students about producing an entire ensemble piece on a politically charged subject.<\/p>\n

Troops deployed to Russia as a loyalty test<\/p>\n

North Korean authorities have cast soldiers who fought in the Russia-Ukraine war as revolutionaries who shed blood on the front lines of what state propaganda<\/a> calls \u201canti-imperialist self-reliance,\u201d a slogan<\/a> rooted in the country\u2019s Juche ideology of political and military<\/a> independence from outside powers. Their service is being used as a propaganda tool to help cement the North Korea-Russia alliance.<\/p>\n

Set against that backdrop, the directive requiring students to create works centered on the soldiers\u2019 sacrifice, devotion and loyalty<\/a> suggests authorities are not simply evaluating academic skill. The assignment appears designed to vet and shape the political loyalty of young<\/a> people entering the arts field, a sector the regime has long used to spread its ideology.<\/p>\n

The source said graduating students view how faithfully they complete the assignment as a key factor that could affect their job placement after graduation<\/a>. Worried that a misstep could bring penalties, students are racking their brains to finish the project amid a tense atmosphere, the source said.<\/p>\n

Read in Korean<\/a><\/p>\n

Reporting from inside North Korea<\/p>\n

\n Daily NK operates networks of sources inside North Korea who document events in real-time and transmit information<\/a> through secure channels. Unlike reporting based on state media<\/a>, satellite<\/a> imagery, or defector<\/a> accounts from years past, our journalism comes directly from people currently living under the regime. We verify reports through multiple independent sources and cross-reference details before publication.\n <\/p>\n

\n Our sources remain anonymous because contact with foreign media is treated as a capital<\/a> offense in North Korea \u2014 discovery means imprisonment or execution. This network-based approach allows Daily NK to report<\/a> on developments other outlets cannot access: market<\/a> trends, policy implementation, public sentiment, and daily realities that never appear in official narratives.\n <\/p>\n

\n Maintaining these secure communication channels and protecting source identities requires specialized protocols and constant vigilance. Daily NK serves as a bridge<\/a> between North Koreans and the outside world, documenting what\u2019s happening inside one of the world\u2019s most closed societies.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the Workers’ Party of Korea, reported on April 27 that a completion…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":57258,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[23147,12048,448,31,344,34,453,129,137,4918,130,12248,15034],"class_list":["post-57257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-north-korea","tag-deployment","tag-education","tag-ideology","tag-korea","tag-military","tag-north-korea","tag-propaganda","tag-pyongyang","tag-russia","tag-students","tag-ukraine","tag-universities","tag-youth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57257","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57257"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57257\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57258"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57257"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57257"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57257"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}