Kim Jong Un Lauds Troops Who 'Opted for Self-Blasting'

Kim Jong Un has publicly applauded North Korean troops who reportedly killed themselves with grenades rather than risk capture while fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, "confirming a long-suspected battlefield policy," reports the BBC. In a Monday speech in Pyongyang, Kim hailed those who "unhesitatingly opted for self-blasting, suicide attack" as "heroes," according to state media. "They did not expect any compensation, though they performed distinguished feats," he added, per Bloomberg. "They died a heroic death."

South Korea's intelligence service estimates about 15,000 North Koreans have fought alongside the Russians, with more than 6,000 believed dead. The BBC reports North Korean soldiers are told that surrender amounts to treason. Indeed, one captured fighter in Ukraine told a South Korean broadcaster earlier this year that he regretted not killing himself, saying, "Everyone else blew themselves up. I failed."

Reuters reports the comments came during the opening ceremony of the Memorial Museum of Combat Feats at the Overseas Military Operations (see photos here), a memorial honoring North Korean troops killed while fighting for Russia. Kim said in his speech that the soldiers had "wiped out the aggressors," putting a stop to "the United States' and the West's hegemonic ambitions and military adventurism."