Kim Jong Un Praises NK Soldiers Who Committed Suicide to Avoid Ukrainian Capture

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has publicly praised soldiers who committed suicide to avoid capture by Ukrainian forces, confirming a long-suspected military doctrine regarding the treatment of prisoners of war. During a speech on April 27, 2026, Kim described troops who killed themselves using explosives as heroes who acted to protect the honor of the state.

The remarks were made during the opening of a new memorial complex located on the outskirts of Pyongyang. The site serves as both a cemetery and a museum, featuring a large bronze sculpture depicting North Korean and Russian soldiers engaged in combat. The complex includes black marble walls engraved with the names of the deceased, alongside displays of captured military equipment, personal relics, and the remains of fallen soldiers.

At the event, Kim Jong Un walked through rows of graves and placed soil into an open burial site. He was joined by high-ranking Russian officials, including Russian Defence Minister Andrey Belousov and the speaker of Russia’s parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin.

The Doctrine of Self-Blasting

In a transcript published by the state media agency KCNA, Kim Jong Un explicitly endorsed the practice of soldiers detonating grenades or other explosives to avoid being taken prisoner. He stated that those who unhesitatingly opted for self-blasting, suicide attack, in order to defend the great honour had demonstrated 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 Jong Un

The endorsement confirms reports from intelligence agencies and defectors who have long claimed that North Korean troops are instructed to take their own lives rather than face capture. In North Korea, military personnel are taught that being captured by an enemy is an act of treason.

State media has recently provided graphic accounts of these deaths. Reports describe soldiers detonating grenades while surrounded by enemy forces, sometimes shouting for their comrades to keep their distance before triggering the blast. Other accounts describe wounded soldiers killing themselves to avoid capture or soldiers embracing one another before setting off explosives.

Intelligence and POW Testimony

The acknowledgment from Pyongyang aligns with evidence gathered by South Korean authorities. The South Korean National Intelligence Service reported finding memos on the bodies of deceased North Korean soldiers that pointed to the practice of forced or encouraged suicide on the battlefield.

Further testimony has emerged from North Korean prisoners of war. In a program aired by the South Korean broadcaster MBC, a North Korean prisoner expressed regret over his failure to kill himself before being captured by Ukrainian forces.

Everyone else blew themselves up. I failed

North Korean prisoner of war

Deployment and Casualty Estimates

The deployment of North Korean troops is centered in Russia’s Kursk region, where they have been sent to assist Russian forces in recapturing territory from Ukraine. While neither Moscow nor Pyongyang has officially confirmed the number of troops deployed or the total casualties, South Korean intelligence has provided estimates on the scale of the involvement.

• South Korea estimates that at least 15,000 North Korean soldiers have been deployed to the Kursk region.
• South Korean intelligence estimates that more than 6,000 of those soldiers have been killed.

The unveiling of the memorial complex in Pyongyang is viewed as part of a broader state campaign to frame these casualties as acts of patriotic sacrifice and heroism, further solidifying the military alliance between North Korea and Russia.