North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has publicly praised soldiers who reportedly killed themselves rather than be captured while fighting in Russia's Kursk region, KCNA said. Analysts estimate Pyongyang sent about 14,000 troops, and officials report heavy losses with estimates of more than 6,000 fatalities. Intelligence reports and defector testimony indicate some fighters used self-detonation or other means to avoid capture. South Korean assessments say the troop deployment came in exchange for Russian economic and military-technology assistance.
Kim Jong Un Praises North Korean Fighters Who Chose Suicide Over Capture in Kursk
FILE PHOTO: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during the expanded meeting of the first plenary meeting of the Ninth Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), in Pyongyang, North Korea, February 23, 2026, in this picture released February 24, 2026, by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency. KCNA via REUTERS/File Photo
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un publicly praised soldiers who reportedly took their own lives rather than be captured while fighting alongside Russian forces in Russia's Kursk region, according to North Korean state media KCNA.
Analysts and officials estimate that Pyongyang dispatched roughly 14,000 troops to the Kursk area. South Korean, Ukrainian and Western sources say the contingent suffered heavy losses, with some estimates putting North Korean fatalities at more than 6,000. These figures have not been independently verified and vary between intelligence agencies and media accounts.
Claims of Suicide to Avoid Capture
Intelligence reports and testimonies from defectors cited by multiple agencies suggest that some North Korean fighters resorted to self-detonation or other forms of suicide rather than face capture. In remarks at the completion ceremony for a memorial to the fallen, Kim acknowledged those extreme measures and lauded the soldiers as heroes, KCNA reported.
"It is not only the heroes who unhesitatingly chose the path of self-destruction and suicide to defend great honor, but also those who fell while charging at the forefront of assault battles," KCNA quoted Kim as saying.
Kim also praised survivors, describing them as patriots and "loyal warriors" who preferred death over the perceived shame of capture. South Korean intelligence assessments say Pyongyang received economic assistance and military-technology support from Russia in return for sending troops and munitions to the front.
Context and caveats: The deployment, casualty estimates and accounts of battlefield suicides are based on intelligence assessments, defectors' testimony and state reporting; independent verification is limited. The highly sensitive and propagandistic nature of the subject—reported both by North Korean state media and external intelligence—means some details remain contested.
Reporting: Reuters; state transcript: KCNA.
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