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North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has publicly praised soldiers who committed suicide rather than be captured while fighting Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region. This is the clearest confirmation yet of what officials and intelligence agencies have long described as one of the most extreme policies on Pyongyang’s battlefield.
In remarks published Monday by North Korean state media KCNA and first reported by Reuters, Kim honored troops who “unhesitatingly chose the path of self-destruction and suicide” rather than surrender, as he addressed Russian officials and relatives at a memorial ceremony for North Korean soldiers killed in the battle.
“It is not only the heroes who unhesitatingly chose the path of self-destruction and suicide to defend great honor, but also those who fell while at the forefront of offensive battles,” Kim said.
The comments mark the first time Kim has directly acknowledged the lengths North Korean forces fighting for Russia have gone to in their efforts to avoid capture by Ukrainian forces.
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends a photo session with officers and soldiers who participated in the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army in North Korea on April 27, 2022. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service)
North Korea has sent an estimated 14,000 troops to Russia’s western Kursk region to support Moscow’s war efforts, according to South Korean, Ukrainian and Western officials quoted by Reuters. Those same officials say troops have suffered staggering losses, with more than 6,000 North Korean soldiers believed to have been killed in some of the most intense fighting of the war.
For months, intelligence reports, battlefield evidence and testimony from defectors have pointed to a grim directive: North Korean troops were expected to detonate grenades or otherwise commit suicide rather than risk capture.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pose for a photo during a signing ceremony after bilateral talks in Pyongyang, North Korea, June 19, 2024. (Sputnik/Kristina Kormilitsyna/Kremlin via REUTERS)
That policy appears to have even extended to the few who survived. According to The Guardian, two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukrainian forces and now held as prisoners of war in Kiev reportedly tried to blow themselves up but were unable to do so due to serious injuries. One of the captured soldiers reportedly felt guilty for not carrying out these orders.
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North Korean troops are training with Russian instructors to clear mines in the heavily polluted Kursk region, images from the Russian Ministry of Defense show. (East to West News Agency)
Kim’s latest speech appears to transform these reports from battlefield accusations into publicly praised state doctrine.
“Those who writhed in frustration because they failed to fulfill their duty as soldiers instead of suffering the pain of having their bodies torn by bullets and grenades – they too can be called the party’s loyal fighters and patriots,” Kim added.
The statement underlines the ideological intensity imposed on the North Korean armed forces, whose loyalty to the regime appears to extend beyond combat and into self-destruction.
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North Korean troops clear minefields left behind after months of fighting in the Kursk region. (East to West News Agency)
The revelation also highlights the deepening military relationship between Pyongyang and Moscow.
According to South Korean intelligence assessments, North Korea has supplied Russia with not only troops but also ammunition, while receiving economic aid and military technology in return.
Reuters contributed to this report.
