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North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has publicly praised soldiers who killed themselves rather than be captured fighting Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region, offering the clearest confirmation of what officials and intelligence agencies have long described as one of Pyongyang’s most extreme battlefield policies.
In comments published on Monday by North Korean state media KCNA and first reported by Reuters, Kim honored soldiers who “without hesitation chose the path of self-destruction and suicide” rather than surrender, as he addressed Russian officials and bereaved families during a memorial ceremony for North Korean soldiers killed in the war.
“Not only are they the heroes who chose the path of self-destruction and suicide without hesitation to protect great honor, but also those who fell while being at the forefront of the attack,” Kim said.
The comments are the first time Kim has directly acknowledged the lengths to which North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia have gone in efforts to avoid capture by Ukrainian forces.
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un takes part in a photo session with officers and soldiers attending the 90th founding anniversary of the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army in North Korea on April 27, 2022. (Korea Central News Agency/Korea News Service)
North Korea deployed 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 cited by Reuters. The same officials say the army suffered heavy losses, with more than 6,000 North Korean soldiers believed to have died in the fiercest fighting of the war.
For months, intelligence reports, battlefield evidence and testimony from defectors have pointed to a grim directive: North Korean soldiers were expected to detonate hand grenades or otherwise take their lives 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)
This policy appears to extend to the few who survived. According to The Guardian, two North Korean soldiers who were captured by Ukrainian forces and are now being held as prisoners of war in Kiev, both reportedly attempted to blow themselves up, but were unable to do so due to severe injuries. One of the captured soldiers reportedly expressed guilt over failing to carry out those orders.
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North Korean soldiers train with Russian trainers to clear mines in the heavily contaminated Kursk region, according to Russian Defense Ministry footage. (East to West News Agency)
Kim’s latest speech appears to transform those reports from battlefield allegations to publicly acclaimed state doctrine.
“Those who writhe in despair when they fail to fulfill their duty as soldiers, rather than suffer the pain of having their bodies torn to pieces by bullets and shells – they too can be called loyal warriors and patriots of the Party,” Kim said.
The statement underscores the ideological intensity imposed on North Korean forces, whose loyalty to the regime appears to extend beyond war to self-destruction.
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North Korean troops clear landmines left in the Kursk region after months of fighting. (East to West News Agency)
The revelation also highlights the deepening military ties between Pyongyang and Moscow.
According to South Korean intelligence assessments, North Korea has provided Russia with not only troops but also war material, while in return it has received economic aid and military technology.
Reuters contributed to this report.
