WAVING flags and banners in Whitehall, Kim Jong-un’s fans are outraged that Britain has slapped sanctions on a North Korean “summer camp”.
Despite an atrocious record of abuses, delusional loyalists from the Korean Friendship Association (KFA) claim human rights are “guaranteed” in Kim Jong-un’s hermit kingdom.
Korean Friendship Association UK Chairman Dermot Hudson (left) and ‘Paul’ protest sanctions against a North Korea school Credit: Chris Eades
The group idolise the hermit kingdom’s dictator, Kim Jong-un Credit: AFP or licensors
Speaking on a picket line outside the Foreign Office, KFA’s “chairman” former Brit civil servant Dermot Hudson hit out at what he called “very unfair” restrictions on Songdowon International Children’s Camp.
A watchdog accused the school of “indoctrinating” Ukrainian children captured from the Donbas and sent there by the Russians.
Hudson leads Britain’s KFA, which operates in 120 countries and is made up of retirees and disillusioned hobbyists – who a former member brands “useful idiots” for the regime.
Former KFA insider Ulrich Larsen, , told The Sun that their groups revolved around glorifying Kim and promoting regime propaganda.
Ulrich said members of KFA were consumed by defending the Kim dynasty and spent much of their time praising the country while attacking critics and defectors.
The group’s website is littered with bizarre homages to nepo-tyrant Kim, praising his “matchless courage, pluck and popular traits”.
It is officially recognised by and members are even invited to Pyongyang, the country’s capital, where they are honoured with medals.
None more so than KFA founder Alejandro Cao de Benos, who is wanted by the US authorities for allegedly conspiring to violate US sanctions on the regime.
The Songdowon International School Children’s Camp allegedly indoctrinated two Ukrainian children from the Donbas Credit: Getty
Statues of late North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang Credit: AFP
Ignoring decades of UN reports detailing horrific torture, labour camps and starvation, Hudson painted a twisted picture of the dictatorship as a kind of utopia.
Speaking to The Sun, the UK’s fans attempted to defend the Songdowon camp and bizarrely claimed that lifting sanctions meant Brit parents could send their kids there.
“It’s a children’s camp where not only Korean children come, but children from other countries, such as , , African countries, even Ireland,” he said.
“It’s not making . It’s not making missiles. It’s promoting understanding and friendship between different nationalities, which I think is very important these days.”
KFA member ‘Paul’ says that the EU and Britain could improve its trade relationship with North Korea Credit: Chris Eades
North Korea allegedly dodges sanctions to fund it nuclear weapons campaigns Credit: EPA
Hudson claimed the sanctions would damage relations between the UK and North Korea – and insisted the camp was no different from youth programmes that have existed in socialist countries for decades.
Holding up KFA banners and a Democratic People’s Republic of Korea flag, the pair, along with six other protesters, called for the sanctions to be lifted.
Hudson said: “I’ve been there 20 times. I’ve never seen any of these camps that are supposed to exist. In a small country like the DPRK, it would be impossible not to notice them.”
The existence of gulags in North Korea has been extensively documented by human rights groups with the use of high-resolution satellite imagery and extensive defector testimony.
But the excesive evidence is dismissed as “propaganda” by both the regime and its benevolent British arm.
“In the DPRK, human rights are guaranteed by the ,” Hudson tried to claim.
The KFA chairman bizarrely insisted allegations of abuse from inside the regime were driven by defectors seeking money in the West.
Asked about his favourite thing about the regime, Hudson said: “I think the cleanliness and order is very important. You won’t see graffiti, you won’t see vandalism. No such thing as knife crime there.”
A satellite image from 2010 showing an aerial view of ‘Camp 25’ Credit: Getty – Contributor
A female North Korean soldier looks out from behind a barbed-wire fence around a camp on the river banks across from China Credit: AP:Associated Press
According to Hudson, the country’s strict self-reliance ideology – and not its long-documented history of oppression and related sanctions – explains its economic isolation.
Another protester, Paul, insisted that Britain should improve relations with the dictatorship – and claimed the UK could develop trade links with North Korea.
One of Hudson’s long-time comrades, Theo Russell, claimed that North Korea is actually a thriving and modern social hub – based on videos he has seen.
He told The Sun: “I’ve watched a great number of travel videos on people visiting the DPRK, which are very interesting. In North Korea, they love to party. They love to go out and take their barbecues, have a few drinks. People seem happy in North Korea.”
Russell, who visited North Korea in 2012, claimed that a Michael Palin documentary and a motorcycle vlog give a realistic view of the country.
He said: “He goes to a holiday festival in the park. What amazed me about that party on the beach was that they’re wearing the latest fashions. The men were really fashionable.
“It’s not the image you expect. I think the image some people have is of everything being 30 years behind and bleak.”
The supporter, who has been a member of the KFA for more than 20 years and visited North Korea himself, said the country was more modern than portrayed in Western media.
Former chef Ulrich Larsen infiltrated the KFA and exposed an arms trafficking scheme Credit: Instagram/ulrich_themole_larsen
KFA founder Alejandro Cao de Benos has been charged by the US Department of Justice with conspiracy to evade sanctions Credit: Getty
Russell described arriving in Pyongyang and being struck by how “well-dressed and purposeful” people appeared, claiming there was an atmosphere of “real organisation and “.
Russell also dismissed satellite images of the labour camps as proof that they exist.
Organisations like Amnesty have independently verified satellite images which clearly show perimeter fences, guard towers, checkpoints and intensive industrial activity associated with mining and farming.
Former KFA insider Ulrich spent years gaining access to senior figures and visits to Pyongyang before helping expose alleged sanctions-swerving schemes linked to North Korea.
Ulrich said WhatsApp groups were filled with messages “praising our dear leader Kim Jong-un”.
He claimed that supporters treated criticism of the regime as a personal attack and became deeply suspicious of outsiders.
Despite their support of the North Korean regime, none of the fans have settled there.
Ulrich said he has heard “bad excuses” but suspects that many supporters enjoy the status they receive from Pyongyang while continuing to live comfortably in Europe.
He suggested many members were drawn to the KFA because it provided a sense of community and a feeling of importance – and being allowed on visits to North Korea is an incentive for members to continue defending Pyongyang in public.
He said the regime “will treat you like an ambassador or diplomat when you come to the country”, and getting medals from the dictatorship was viewed by some supporters as “a big deal”.
After Ulrich exposed sanctions-dodging in the documentary The Mole: Undercover in North Korea, the KFA started to discredit him.
When asked about Ulrich, Hudson said: “He’s just a big liar who is actually a former Danish Navy officer.”
Ulrich laughed off suggestions that he was a spook working for Western intelligence.
Ulrich said: “If I was a spy, why would do a documentary about it?”
The Sun has contacted KFA and Hudson for comment.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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