Kim Jong Un said some North Korean soldiers are heroes. These Korean soldiers killed themselves during a fight in Ukraine. They did this because they did not want to be caught.
Kim Jong Un talked about these Korean soldiers in a speech. He said they showed a lot of loyalty to North Korea. He thinks they did a thing by dying instead of being caught. Kim Jong Un believes we should respect these Korean soldiers for what they did.
Korean Soldiers Are Told To Kill Themselves
Some people think North Korean soldiers are told to kill themselves if they might be caught. This is something that people who used to work for North Korea have been saying for a time. Now Kim Jong Un seems to be saying this is true.
In North Korea people think it is bad to give up. Korean soldiers are taught that being caught is shameful. It brings shame to North Korea and to their families.
Many Korean Soldiers Have Died
A group that gathers information thinks around 15,000 North Korean soldiers went to help Russia in the Kursk region. They think more than 6,000 of these Korean soldiers have died.
North Korea and Russia have not said if this is true.. Many people who gather information think a lot of North Korean soldiers have died in the fighting.
A Captured Korean Soldier Talks
Earlier this year a television show in South Korea featured a North Korean soldier who was caught in Ukraine. This Korean soldier said he wishes he had killed himself.
He said some of the North Korean soldiers had used grenades to kill themselves so they would not be caught. What he said makes it seem like Korean soldiers are really told to kill themselves.
Kim Jong Un Talks At A Memorial
Kim Jong Un made these comments at an event in Pyongyang. This event was to honor Korean soldiers who died while helping Russian forces.
Some important Russian officials were at the event. These included Andrey Belousov and Vyacheslav Volodin. Their presence shows that North Korea and Russia are working closely together.
North Korea and Russia Are Working Together
In June 2024 Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin signed an agreement. This agreement says that if either country is attacked the other country will help.
North Korea is also going to send workers to help fix damaged areas in Kursk. They will do this in addition, to sending Korean soldiers to help Russia.
