North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has effectively acknowledged a practice in which troops are expected to avoid capture at the cost of their own lives while taking part in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Bloomberg reported on this.
During the opening of a memorial in Pyongyang dedicated to fallen North Korean soldiers, Kim Jong Un twice referred to soldiers who “blew themselves up.”
“Heroes who, without hesitation, chose self-destruction, a suicide attack to protect great honor. They did not expect any reward, although they performed outstanding feats. They died a heroic death,” he said.
According to available data, cases of suicide among North Korean soldiers are recorded regularly, including by detonating grenades when facing the risk of capture. This helps explain the extremely small number of prisoners — only two North Korean servicemen have been taken captive.
The Ukrainian military assesses North Korean units as a difficult enemy — physically resilient, well-trained, and disciplined.
North Korean losses in the fighting against Ukraine, including in the Kursk region, are estimated at about 1,100 servicemen.
It is known that Russia pays Pyongyang about $2,000 per deployed soldier, equivalent to roughly 83 times the annual income of an average North Korean citizen.
In June 2024, Vladimir Putin visited North Korea, where he signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement with Kim Jong Un. The document effectively establishes a military alliance between the states: under its provisions, if one party is attacked, the other must provide military assistance by all available means.
The first reports of North Korean troops participating in the war against Ukraine appeared in October 2024. At that time, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence and South Korean intelligence reported the transfer of about 1,500 soldiers to Russia, followed by deployment to the Kursk region.
In early November 2024, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov confirmed the first combat clashes between the Armed Forces of Ukraine and North Korean units.
Moscow and Pyongyang have long denied participation in hostilities.
Official recognition from Russia came only in April 2025 during a report by Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov to Vladimir Putin, where the participation of North Korean troops in battles in the border areas of the Kursk region was acknowledged.
