Kim Jong-un has praised North Korean soldiers who detonated grenades to avoid capture by Ukrainian forces in Russia's Kursk region, confirming the existence of a suicide policy for troops. The North Korean leader spoke at a ceremony for a memorial honouring fallen soldiers, calling those who chose self-destruction 'heroes'.
North Korea sent around 14,000 elite troops to support Russia in 2024, with many deployed near the border town of Sudzha. According to South Korean and Ukrainian officials, over 6,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed in intense fighting. Two soldiers were captured alive in Ukraine after failing to carry out suicide orders due to severe injuries.
In his speech, Kim said: 'It is not only the heroes who unhesitatingly chose the path of self-destruction and suicide to defend great honour, but also those who fell while charging at the forefront of assault battles.' He also described survivors who felt guilt at failing to fulfil their duty as 'the party's loyal warriors and patriots'.
Pyongyang has supplied Moscow with millions of artillery shells and short-range ballistic missiles in exchange for economic and military technology assistance. Ukraine's forces recaptured the Sudzha pocket in spring 2025, ending the first foreign incursion into Russian territory since World War II.
