Beach hotels, works of art and cannon fodder: this is how the Russians seduce North Korea

MoscowThere is only one country in the world obligated to defend North Korea—the quintessential pariah state—in the event of an attack: Russia. The two countries have had a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement since 2024, making them extremely close allies. As proof of Pyongyang's gratitude for Moscow's friendship, an exhibition of North Korean art is being shown for the first time in the Russian capital, featuring more than 120 works of patriotic propaganda and social utopian ideals.

Paintings dedicated to North Korean soldiers who fought under the Russian army in the Kursk region occupy the central aisle of the exhibition. Under titles such as Giving a precious life either Heroic fighters: for the dignity and honor of the homelandThe paintings depict scenes more akin to an action film than the reality of the front lines, and show Ukrainian flags in flames. Another work, In the same trenchIt depicts Russian and North Korean soldiers smiling fraternally.

It is estimated that Kim Jong-un has sent nearly 15,000 men to the war in UkraineMost of them fought to recapture Kursk, and although there are no official figures, the number of dead and wounded could be around 5,000. At the end of August, the North Korean leader honored them in an unusual ceremony in Pyongyang, and some of their commanders attended the Victory Day parade in Moscow.

North Korea has also become Vladimir Putin's main arms supplier for the war. Ukrainian intelligence claims that nearly 50% of the Kremlin's army's ammunition is North Korean, including more than 12 million tank shells. Furthermore, Kyiv asserts that North Korean missiles have struck Ukrainian cities. Some of these missiles are depicted in the exhibition, which aims to highlight the country's military potential.

In exchange for supporting Moscow, the Kim Jong-un regime has reportedly received more than 17 billion euros. Russia has also sent Pyongyang food, raw materials, and weapons technology, circumventing sanctions, and, above all, aid in its nuclear program.

Open to Russian tourism

In one of the rooms, two paintings depict the brand-new Wonsan-Kalma coastal resort, with North Korean families enjoying the beach and the sea. resort tourist, with It has a capacity for 20,000 people and aims to accommodate one million each year.This is the North Korean regime's main bet to attract Russian visitors. Inspired by Benidorm, it was built through expropriation and marathon workdays for laborers with no labor rights, some of whom have died on the job. The opening this summer was attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, accompanied by a retinue of journalists and about fifteen Russian tourists. The visitors complained of being followed even when they went swimming, while the press noted that many of the North Korean guests at the hotel were extras who remained day and night, for example, playing billiards, drinking beer at the bar, or sunbathing. In June 2024, during Putin's first official visit to the allied country in 24 years, he promised to encourage Russians to visit Pyongyang as tourists. However, despite the efforts of Kim Jong-un's regime, only about 1,500 Russians traveled to North Korea last year, a destination still far too unaffordable for the average Russian salary.

Socialist Realism and Social Utopia

The photograph of that meeting, with both leaders holding hands, in a large frame, presides over the room that welcomes visitors to the North Korean art exhibition in Moscow. A mother photographs her children with the two leaders behind them, under the watchful eyes of two security agents with Asian features who leave no trace of the space.

Aside from the paintings with military themes, most of the works present an idealized vision of North Korea: scientists, workers, children—all smiling—Pyongyang transformed into a futuristic city, or bucolic rural scenes. Hyperrealistic art, of a socialist realism that would have moved even Stalin himself, as it moves Liudmila and Elena, two visitors: "We only see cheerful and luminous faces, inspiration in the eyes, like in the paintings of our youth. It's like going back to our childhood."

Less cheerful and luminous is the section dedicated to the "atrocities of American imperialism." In one of the paintings, a crying girl tries to pick up a violin, but an American soldier makes a gesture as if to snatch it away and smash it to pieces with an axe. Another Russian visitor remarked that "the Korean people are not afraid to call things by their name." "These are excellent works, full of patriotism, love of country, and enthusiasm for life," he concluded.