Topic analysis

Kim praises North Korean soldiers who blew themselves up to evade Ukraine capture

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has publicly praised North Korean soldiers who blew themselves up with grenades to avoid capture by Ukrainian forces during fighting in Russia’s Kursk region, marking the first official confirmation of this extreme battlefield policy. Kim’s remarks came during a memorial ceremony for North Korean troops, amid ongoing military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow where North Korea sent around 14,000 elite troops (over 6,000 killed) and weapons to Russia in exchange for economic and military technology assistance, with two injured soldiers captured despite attempting suicide.