Recently, North Korea has been encouraging residents to take an interest in horse riding, promoting it as a healthy exercise. The country is remodeling and expanding the number of horse riding facilities.
The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the Workers’ Party, reported on June 30, “Horse riding provides emotional satisfaction and promotes health. It strengthens muscles and bones, enhances internal organ functions, and relieves mental fatigue.” The newspaper also highlighted the Mirim Horse Riding Club, noting that “people’s expectations and interest in horse riding are growing day by day.”
The Mirim Horse Riding Club has recently undergone renovations. Hundreds of zelkova trees have been newly planted, and safety fences have been installed along the main road. An automatic irrigation system has also been introduced on the grass and dirt main road.
The indoor riding training center of the Mirim Horse Riding Club, which is visited by teenagers and workers, has been remodeled. The indoor walls are decorated with birch trees, and lighting decorations have been installed on the second-floor railing. The newspaper reported, “The workers and volunteers of the Mirim Horse Riding Club are dedicating all their sincerity to the normal management so that the comprehensively and modernly transformed public horse riding service base can contribute better to our people’s cultural and emotional life in the grace of the party.”
North Korea also completed the new Kanggye Horse Riding Club in Jagang Province.
The newspaper reported on June 16, “All conditions and environments necessary for horse riding and education are provided, allowing workers and young students to enjoy cultural and emotional life while strengthening their physical fitness.”
Kim Young Chun, Chairman of the Jagang Provincial People’s Committee, emphasized during the completion ceremony that it is a “proud creation that rises to the lofty will of Comrade Kim Jong Un, who is dedicating his blood and sweat to provide more affluent and civilized living conditions for our people.”
North Korea is emphasizing that it is providing sports that people can enjoy at the party level by building additional riding clubs or remodeling them. This aligns with the improvement of people’s lives and people-first policies emphasized by Kim since he took office.
However, it is reported that not all residents in North Korea can easily enjoy horse riding due to the high cost of using horse riding facilities.
It is said that Kim has had a special affection for horses and enjoys riding them since his study abroad days. The breed that Kim rides is worth tens of millions of won, and in 2022, it is reported that he imported about 50 horses from Russia.
It has been confirmed by the South Korean intelligence authorities that Kim’s daughter, Ju Ae, also has a hobby of horse riding. The South Korean National Intelligence Service revealed in a report to the National Assembly in March last year that Ju Ae’s hobbies are horse riding, swimming, and skiing. It also shared that her father is satisfied with her horse riding skills.