Overview
- Speaking at a new memorial in Pyongyang, Kim Jong Un praised soldiers who killed themselves rather than be captured, confirming earlier reports of the practice.
- The ceremony featured Russian officials and grieving families as state media cast the self-detonations as acts of heroism.
- North Korea deployed about 14,000 troops to Russia’s Kursk region in 2024, and reports say more than 6,000 were killed during intense fighting.
- Intelligence assessments had described orders to use grenades to avoid capture, a doctrine Kim’s remarks effectively endorsed.
- South Korea’s spy agency says Pyongyang shipped artillery shells and short-range missiles to Russia in return for aid and technology, while some North Korean POWs remain in Ukraine with their safety in doubt.