Families with sons and daughters serving in the military have been ordered to write letters of encouragement, Daily NK has learned.
“On March 23, the Kimchaek party committee issued an order through neighborhood offices to neighborhood watch units directing families of service members to write encouraging letters to their children in the military,” a source in North Hamgyong Province told Daily NK recently. “The order included specific instructions about what to write.”
Party officials believe the directive was issued to ease growing family concerns over their children’s safety, sparked by rumors about North Korean troops being deployed to Russia to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
Officials acknowledge the order came because the party has received reports that increasing numbers of families are losing sleep worrying their children may have been killed or wounded in Russia, as rumors circulate about heavy casualties among North Korean troops fighting against Ukraine.
Families have attempted to verify their children’s safety by calling or writing to them, but rumors persist that some families encountered unfamiliar voices on phone calls or haven’t received responses to their letters.
There are also claims that response letters are often written by superior officers, with messages like: “I’m fine. I’m on outside duty, and we can’t receive military mail where we are, so I’m having my company or division commander write for me.”
As a result, families with children in the military spend their days and nights worried. “I’ll only feel at ease if I actually hear my child’s voice,” they say.
Some party organizations have responded with threats, telling families “not to be swayed by needless rumors” and that “if it’s not from the party, it’s not true.” Others have tried to console families by telling them to wait because “good news will arrive.”
The Kimchaek party committee instructed families to write letters telling their children that parents, siblings and other relatives at home are doing well, along with positive news about construction projects in the city.
However, according to the source, families find little comfort in these letters. They say they will only feel better when they hear their child’s voice or see their face.
