“Blow yourselves up.” North Korean leader’s advice to his soldiers in Ukraine | news

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un praised his country’s soldiers who committed suicide and blew themselves up during their fight against Ukrainian forces in the Russian Kursk region, thus confirming the adoption of an “extremist combat policy.”

North Korea had sent about 14,000 soldiers to fight alongside Russian forces in the Kursk region.

In a speech he delivered to Russian officials and families of the dead during the opening ceremony of a memorial honoring North Korean soldiers, Kim referred for the first time to what he described as the “huge sacrifices” they made, and praised them as heroes, according to the text of the speech published by the North’s Korean Central News Agency.

Kim added, “It is not only the heroes who without hesitation chose the path of self-sacrifice and suicide to defend a great honor, but also those who fell while advancing in fierce battles.” The North Korean leader also described the battle survivors as loyal to the homeland.

“Blow yourselves up”

Officials from South Korea, Ukraine, and Western countries said that North Korean forces participating in the Russian war on Ukraine suffered heavy losses, as more than 6,000 North Korean soldiers were killed in battles.

Reports have indicated that the North Korean army is recommending that its soldiers blow themselves up to avoid capture, and increasing evidence, including intelligence reports and opposition testimonies, has indicated that North Korean soldiers are resorting to blowing themselves up or committing suicide in other ways to avoid being captured.

According to South Korean intelligence assessments, Pyongyang received economic and military technological aid from Russia in exchange for sending troops and munitions during the Russia-Ukraine war.