North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has honoured soldiers who died fighting for Russia in the war against Ukraine, including those who reportedly killed themselves rather than be captured.
Speaking in Pyongyang, Kim said, according to state media KCNA, “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 said.
He added, “Their self-sacrifice expecting no compensation, and the devotion expecting no reward… This is the definition of the height of loyalty of our army.”
According to Reuters, North Korea deployed about 14,000 troops to support Russian forces in the Kursk region, where they have suffered heavy losses.
Intelligence assessments from South Korea, Ukraine and Western allies estimate that more than 6,000 soldiers have been killed in action, amid reports of personnel being used in high-risk “suicide” operations framed as acts of national honour.
Kim addressed bereaved families at a closing ceremony attended by Russian officials, including Defence Minister Andrey Belousov and parliamentary speaker Vyacheslav Volodin.
He praised those who died in combat, saying, “Those who fell in the vanguard of charges and those who writhed in frustration at the failure to fulfil 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 a separate report earlier this year by South Korean broadcaster Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation, two North Korean soldiers captured in Ukraine were interviewed as prisoners of war.
One of them expressed regret at being captured, saying: “Everyone else blew themselves up. I failed.”