Kim Praises Troops Who Chose Death Over Capture

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has praised soldiers who killed themselves with grenades to avoid capture while fighting alongside Russian forces in the war against Ukraine, publicly acknowledging a practice long suspected by intelligence agencies.

Get today's headlines by email

Speaking in Pyongyang earlier this week, Kim described the troops who chose to detonate explosives rather than surrender as heroes who acted to protect the honour of their country.

State media outlet Korean Central News Agency reported that the remarks were made during a ceremony unveiling a memorial for North Korean soldiers killed while fighting in support of Russia.

Honouring fallen soldiers

According to the report, Kim said soldiers who “unhesitatingly opted for self-blasting, suicide attack, in order to defend the great honour” deserved recognition for their actions.

He described their behaviour as the highest form of loyalty.

“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 said.

Senior Russian officials attended the ceremony, including Defence Minister Andrey Belousov and parliamentary speaker Vyacheslav Volodin.

The event highlighted growing military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang as Russia continues its war in Ukraine.

North Korean troops in Kursk

South Korean officials estimate that around 15,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to assist Russian forces attempting to regain territory in the western Russian region of Kursk Oblast.

Seoul says more than 6,000 of those soldiers may already have been killed in combat. Neither Russia nor North Korea has publicly confirmed those figures.

Intelligence agencies and North Korean defectors have previously reported that soldiers sent abroad were instructed to take their own lives if capture appeared likely.

In North Korea’s military culture, surrender is widely portrayed as a betrayal of the state.

Evidence from prisoners and documents

Earlier this year, South Korean broadcaster Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation aired an interview with two North Korean soldiers captured in Ukraine.

One of the prisoners said he regretted not killing himself during the fighting.

“Everyone else blew themselves up. I failed,” he said in the televised programme.

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said last year that documents recovered from the bodies of North Korean soldiers also suggested such orders had been issued.

In his speech, Kim also praised soldiers who died in combat during attacks.

He said those who fell while advancing in battle, or those who felt frustration at failing to complete their mission, should also be regarded as loyal patriots.

Growing Russia–North Korea ties

Military cooperation between Russia and North Korea has deepened since the start of the Ukraine war.

In June 2024, Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a defence agreement committing both countries to assist each other in the event of aggression.

Kim described the treaty at the time as the strongest agreement between the two nations.

North Korea has also pledged to send thousands of workers to help rebuild infrastructure in Russia’s Kursk region following fighting there.

Join the discussion?

Already a member?

Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 30 April 2026