Kim Jong Un Praises His Man Who Chooses to Commit Suicide Rather than Being Captured in Ukraine

JAKARTA - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un praised his country's soldiers who committed suicide while fighting against Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region, Russia, confirming the policy of extreme combat.

Increasing evidence, including from intelligence reports and testimony from defectors, suggests North Korean soldiers commit suicide or other forms of self-immolation rather than being captured.

In a speech addressed to Russian officials and grieving families at a ceremony to lay a monument in honor of North Korean soldiers, the Memorial Complex and Memorial Museum of Combat Feats in Overseas Military Operations in Pyongyang, Leader Kim mentioned for the first time the sacrifices they had made, praising them as "heroes," according to a transcript published by the North Korean Government media KCNA.

"Not only the heroes who without hesitation chose the path of self-destruction and suicide to defend the great honor, but also those who fell while storming the front lines of battle," he said, citing Al Arabiya from Reuters (29/4).

Leader Kim added that the survivors were also patriots.

"Those who moan in frustration for failing to fulfill their duties as soldiers rather than suffering the misery of their bodies destroyed by bullets and bombs - they can also be called fighters and patriots loyal to the party," he said.

It is known that North Korea sent about 14,000 soldiers to fight with Russian troops in the Kursk region.

South Korean, Ukrainian, and Western officials said Pyongyang suffered many casualties with more than 6,000 North Korean soldiers killed in the fighting.

In return for sending troops and ammunition, Pyongyang has received economic assistance and military technology from Russia, according to South Korean intelligence assessments.