Kim Jong Un hails Russian troops who refused capture and died in Ukraine war
Kim Jong Un (photo: Getty Images)
At the unveiling of a grandiose bronze sculpture of North Korean and Russian soldiers who died in the war in Ukraine, the head of North Korea praised those soldiers who did not surrender and instead eliminated themselves, according to CNN.
According to a transcript published by North Korean state media KCNA, Kim said that those who, without hesitation, chose self-detonation and suicide attacks demonstrated the highest form of loyalty. He was referring to soldiers who threw themselves onto grenades or detonated explosives rather than risk capture.
Kim made these remarks at the opening of a new massive memorial complex on the outskirts of the capital, walking past rows of freshly dug graves before kneeling to throw dirt into an open burial site.
For months, North Korean state media have offered vivid and often graphic accounts of how these soldiers died. Previous reports described how military personnel detonated grenades when surrounded, shouted at comrades to move away before triggering an explosion, or killed themselves after being wounded to avoid capture. In one report, soldiers hugged each other before detonating explosives.
For years, intelligence agencies, Ukrainian officials, and defectors have reported that North Korean soldiers were expected to commit suicide rather than be captured. Pyongyang never confirmed this. Now, this doctrine is being endorsed at the highest level, publicly, at a site built to honor those killed in the war.
This memorial is one of the clearest pieces of evidence of the scale of North Korea's involvement in Russia's war. An analysis by NK News showed that two black marble walls inside the complex bear the engraved names of 2,288 soldiers believed to have died in combat, along with 271 graves and over 1,700 niches for cremated remains. The complex has expanded its walls and made room for future graves, indicating that this is not a closed chapter.
Kim Jong Un recently announced that North Korea would present a new policy aimed at the simultaneous development of nuclear forces and conventional armed forces.
North Korea opened a museum featuring captured Ukrainian equipment — Leopard and Abrams tanks, Marder armored vehicles, and other weapons.
