North Korean leader Kim Jong Un praises soldiers who choose suicide over capture in Ukraine

Pyongyang. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called soldiers who fight for Russia in Ukraine and choose suicide over capture as heroes. According to state media KCNA, Kim praised soldiers who sacrifice themselves without hesitation to protect great honor at an event held in Pyongyang. He described such actions as the highest loyalty of the army. South Korea estimates that North Korea has sent about 15,000 soldiers to support Russia, of whom more than 6,000 may have been killed. However, neither North Korea nor Russia has officially confirmed these figures. According to intelligence agencies, North Korean soldiers are instructed to commit suicide rather than be captured. In North Korea, being captured as a soldier is considered treason. Earlier, South Korean broadcaster MCB had broadcast a program about two North Korean prisoners of war captured in Ukraine. One of the soldiers expressed regret for not committing suicide. Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov and Speaker of the Russian Parliament Vyacheslav Volodin also participated in the event. According to the agreement between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kim in 2024, both countries had pledged to help each other in case of an attack. At that time, Kim had called the agreement the strongest ever.