North Korean leader Kim Jong-un this week publicly praised soldiers who, according to him, committed suicide while fighting against Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk region to avoid being captured by the Ukrainian army.
This follows from the transcript of his speech published by the North Korean state agency KCNA, which was reported by the Reuters agency.
Kim spoke at the completion ceremony of a monument to North Korean soldiers who died fighting for Russia.
In a speech addressed to Russian officials and the families of the fallen, he publicly mentioned for the first time how far he believed the soldiers had gone to avoid falling into the hands of the enemy.
“Heroes are not only those who unhesitatingly chose the path of self-destruction and suicide to defend great honor, but also those who fell in battle at the head of the attacks,” Reuters quoted Kim as saying.
According to South Korean, Ukrainian and Western officials, North Korea has sent approximately 14,000 to 15,000 soldiers to fight alongside Russia in the Kursk region.
These forces there helped stop the Ukrainian invasion launched in the summer of 2024. According to informed officials, North Korean troops suffered heavy losses and more than 6,000 soldiers may have died in the fighting. Neither Moscow nor Pyongyang confirmed these figures.
Citing intelligence and testimony from defectors, Reuters said there was evidence North Korean soldiers resorted to suicide or grenade detonation to avoid capture.
The British station BBC reported on the topic that North Korean soldiers have long been raised in the belief that capture represents treason.
She also referred to a South Korean television report in which one of the North Korean prisoners of war in Ukraine said on camera that he regretted not taking his own life.
The Guardian newspaper recalled that two North Koreans were captured in Ukraine. According to available information, they also tried to detonate grenades, which they failed to do because of their injuries.
According to the newspaper, the soldiers had explicit instructions from the North Korean leadership to commit suicide in the event of imminent capture.
Kim delivered the speech in the presence of Russian officials, among others Defense Minister Andrei Belousov and Chairman of the Lower House of the Russian Parliament Viacheslav Volodin.
According to South Korean intelligence services, Pyongyang received economic and military-technological support from Moscow in exchange for military assistance.
In June 2024, Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an agreement on mutual assistance in the event of aggression against either country.
