North Korea kept Ukraine invasion a secret to all except ruling party

The North Korean regime hid the Russian invasion of Ukraine from its public for days, first informing only members of its ruling Korean Workers’ Party in private, who then spread the word, reports Radio Free Asia.

According to government, The Russian military began its invasion on Feb. 24, but the ruling party was not briefed about it until Feb. 26, according to government officials who spoke to RFA.

“Yesterday, each regional party committee in the province informed all the party members that our strong ally Russia was at war,” an official from the northwestern province of North Pyongan told RFA’s Korean Service on Feb. 27.

Most party members had already heard the news from Chinese acquaintances and did not understand all the secrecy, said one source.

The Workers’ Party is reserved for the privileged or for soldiers who complete the mandatory terms of military service with distinction.

“International relations are strained with Russia at war, so the regional party committee demanded that everyone be ready to be mobilized at all times,” the source said, referring to the close ties between the two countries.

North Korea was established in 1948 with help from the Soviet Union, who moved in to occupy the northern half of the Korean peninsula after it was freed from Japanese rule after World War II and installed Kim Il-sung as leader. Russian President Vladimir Putin has made it a priority to reestablish relations with Pyongyang, reports RFA.

Provincial party committees were instructed to tell members at their weekly “self-criticism” meetings, where they confess political errors and personal shortcomings to show their commitment to the country and its leaders.

“They not only stated that Russia is at war, they also ordered us to be prepared to enter into war immediately under any circumstances,” a second source told RFA.

The second source added that the hypocrisy of the government siding with Russia as it invades a sovereign nation was not lost of some, as North Korea considers the U.S. military’s presence in South Korea as an occupation of its sovereign territory.

North Korea only broke its silence on Monday when state media blamed the Ukraine invasion on the “hegemonic policy” and “high-handedness” of the U.S. and its allies.