North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has publicly lauded soldiers from his country who took their own lives while participating in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. In a speech delivered this week, Kim described those who chose “suicide attacks” to defend their honor as “heroes.”
While official sources remain guarded, South Korea estimates that at least 15,000 North Korean soldiers have been deployed to assist Russia in reclaiming territories in the Kursk region.
According to these estimates, more than 6,000 troops have already died. Notably, neither Pyongyang nor Moscow has officially confirmed these figures. Intelligence agencies and defectors suggest that the troops were under strict orders to take their own lives rather than risk being captured by Ukrainian forces.
“Uncompensated sacrifice and loyalty… this is the only way to define the loyalty of our military,” Kim stated on Monday in Pyongyang while unveiling a memorial for the fallen soldiers.
The event was attended by high-ranking Russian officials, including Defense Minister Andrey Belousov and the speaker of the Russian parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin.
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