Kim Jong Un calls for pro-regime Koreans in Japan to visit their ‘homeland’

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sent a letter to the pro-DPRK organization of ethnic Koreans in Japan on Sunday, accusing authorities of “infringing” on members’ ability to visit the “homeland” as he fights for the allegiance of younger generations increasingly indifferent to the regime.

Kim’s message to the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, better known as Chongryon, commemorated the organization’s 70th founding anniversary, and it came as authorities also hosted a national meeting in Pyongyang to celebrate the group that acts as the DPRK’s de facto embassy in Tokyo.