Mick Hartley

Horses hold a special place in North Korean iconography. Chollima, originally a mythological flying horse, was co-opted by Kim Il-Sung in the 1950s to inspire the people to work harder, and is still regularly invoked in exhortations to drive forward "at Chollima speed" towards the dream of a Great Socialist Nation.

There's also the Great Leader on Horseback theme – usually when riding up sacred Mt. Paektu with camera crew in close attendance:

And now:

North Korea has created a network of mounted military units across the country in an apparent effort to re-establish the ancient art of fighting on horseback.

Analysis of satellite photographs shows that armed forces built at least 12 new tracks and stables at military bases in the second half of last year, and may have had a hand in five more.

Official trade reports show that the country has spent at least $600,000 on thoroughbreds imported from Russia in the past three years, according to an investigation by the NK News website. It is unlikely that such purchases could have been made without the personal knowledge of the supreme leader Kim Jong-un….

Horses play an important part in the personality cult that the “Young General” has created around himself. Reporting on his early life in state media has shown him as a child riding alongside his father Kim Jong-il. In 2018 dramatic photographs depicted him riding through the snow on the country’s sacred mountain, Paektu Mountain.

The museum of the country’s most important equestrian centre, Mirim Riding Club, contains displays recording 386 times he went riding.

The club also displays a quote by Kim. “Horses may no longer be used in war, but the war horse is important from the perspective that they display the military’s greatness,” he said. “Commanders must ride horses. A person who rides horses will gain a stronger disposition and higher command ability, and it is also related to physical strength.”

Horse-breeding may also be source of income for the regime, said Jacob Bogle, an expert in the country. “It looks like North Korea has been laying the foundations for an expanded horse population which will further develop in the coming years. Breeding for export can’t be ruled out.”

Or for eating. They eat dogs, don't they?