SEOUL, April 14 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has sent an educational aid fund and stipends to an association of pro-Pyongyang residents in Japan to mark the upcoming 113th birthday of late founder Kim Il-sung, the North's state media reported Monday.
Kim sent 287 million yen (US$1.99 million) in such funds to the General Association of Korean residents in Japan for "democratic national education of Korean children in Japan," according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Since taking office in late 2011, Kim has sent educational aid funds and scholarships every year to the association around the founder's birthday, which falls on April 15. Last year, he sent 337 million yen to the group.
Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il -- late father of the incumbent leader -- and Kim Jong-un have sent a total of nearly 50 billion yen on 171 occasions to children of pro-Pyongyang ethnic Koreans in Japan, the KCNA said.
Experts said the North's leader appears to be using the education funds to elicit loyalty from such young ethnic Koreans in Japan.
Since last year, Pyongyang has allowed visits to the North by officials and students related to the organization on the occasion of North Korea's key anniversaries following the lifting of its COVID-19 quarantine measures.
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
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