Kim Jong Un Praises North Korean Soldiers For Ukraine Battlefield Suicides
Kim Jong Un, North Korea's leader, has commended soldiers who 'self-blasted' rather than be taken prisoner while deployed with Russian forces in Ukraine. In a speech delivered this week, Kim designated those who "unhesitatingly opted for self-blasting, suicide attack, in order to defend the great honour" as "heroes".
South Korean intelligence assesses that at least 15,000 North Koreans have been sent to support Russia's efforts to recapture territory in western Kursk, with over 6,000 fatalities reported. Neither Pyongyang nor Moscow has verified these figures. Reports from intelligence agencies and defectors have consistently indicated that North Korean soldiers are under direct orders to commit suicide rather than face capture by Ukrainian forces.
"Their self-sacrifice expecting no compensation, and the devotion expecting no reward... This [is] the definition of the height of loyalty of our army," Kim stated in Pyongyang on Monday. The declaration occurred during the unveiling of a memorial for fallen troops, as reported by state media outlet KCNA. Russian Defence Minister Andrey Belousov and Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of Russia's parliament, were noted attendees at the event.
The concept that capture constitutes treason is deeply embedded in North Korean military doctrine. Earlier this year, a South Korean broadcaster featured two North Korean prisoners of war in Ukraine; one expressed regret for not having taken his own life. "Everyone else blew themselves up. I failed," the prisoner recounted.
Last year, Seoul's National Intelligence Service claimed to have discovered memos on deceased North Korean soldiers, reinforcing the existence of this extreme practice. Beyond the self-immolation policy, Kim also paid tribute to those who died in direct combat, stating, "Those who fell in the vanguard of charges and those who writhed in frustration at the failure to fulfill their duties as soldiers who were given orders, rather than in pain in their bodies torn by bullets and shells – they too can be called the party's faithful warriors and patriots."
In June 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kim formalised a treaty pledging mutual assistance in the event of "aggression" against either nation, a pact Kim described as the "strongest ever". Beyond troop deployment, North Korea has also committed to sending thousands of workers for reconstruction efforts in Kursk.
