North Korea’s deployment of suicide soldiers presents a new challenge for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia

Following a recent confrontation in the snowy western region of Kursk, Russia, Ukrainian special forces examined the remains of over a dozen North Korean soldiers who had been killed. Among the deceased, they discovered one soldier who was still alive. However, as the Ukrainian forces approached, he activated a grenade, resulting in his own death, as detailed in a social media post by Ukraine‘s Special Operations Forces on Monday. The Ukrainian soldiers reported that they were unharmed by the explosion. Reuters has not been able to confirm this event.

This incident adds to the growing evidence from the battlefield, intelligence assessments, and accounts from defectors indicating that some North Korean troops are resorting to desperate actions in support of Russia‘s ongoing conflict with Ukraine, which has lasted three years. “Self-detonation and suicides: that’s the reality about North Korea,” stated Kim, a 32-year-old former North Korean soldier who defected to South Korea in 2022. He requested that only his surname be used due to concerns for the safety of his family still residing in the North.

“These soldiers who have left their homes to fight are deeply indoctrinated and genuinely willing to sacrifice themselves for Kim Jong Un,” he remarked, referring to the secretive North Korean leader. Kim, who was introduced to Reuters by the Seoul-based human rights organization NK Imprisonment Victims’ Family Association, shared that he had been involved in military construction projects in Russia for approximately seven years until 2021, aimed at generating foreign currency for the North Korean regime.

Ukrainian and Western intelligence reports indicate that North Korea has dispatched approximately 11,000 troops to bolster Russian forces in the Kursk region, which Ukraine captured during a surprise offensive last year. Kyiv reports that over 3,000 of these soldiers have either been killed or injured.

The North Korean mission to the United Nations in Geneva has not yet responded to inquiries regarding this matter. Initially, both Moscow and Pyongyang dismissed the claims of troop deployment as “fake news.” However, in October, Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged the presence of North Korean soldiers in Russia, while a North Korean official stated that such a deployment would be legitimate.

This week, Ukraine released footage purportedly showing two North Korean soldiers in captivity. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, one soldier expressed a wish to remain in Ukraine, while the other wanted to return to North Korea.

“Being captured signifies betrayal”

North Korea’s involvement in Russia marks its first significant military engagement since the Korean War of 1950-53. Although North Korea previously sent a smaller number of troops to the Vietnam War and the Syrian civil war, this deployment is notably larger. The United States has cautioned that this experience could enhance North Korea’s military capabilities against its neighboring countries.

North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, has previously proclaimed his military as “the strongest in the world,” as reported by state media. In 2023, the regime released propaganda videos featuring bare-chested soldiers engaging in winter training activities, such as running through snowy landscapes, leaping into icy waters, and breaking blocks of ice.

However, a South Korean lawmaker, who received a briefing from the nation’s intelligence agency, indicated that the casualty figures of North Korean soldiers on the battlefield reveal a lack of preparedness for contemporary warfare, including drone assaults. He suggested that these soldiers might be utilized as “cannon fodder” by Russia. More alarmingly, there are indications that these troops have been ordered to take their own lives, he noted.

“Recently, it was confirmed that a North Korean soldier, facing the risk of capture by Ukrainian forces, called out for General Kim Jong Un and attempted to detonate a grenade to kill himself, but he was shot,” stated Lee Seong-kweun, a member of the South Korean parliament’s intelligence committee. He added that documents found with deceased North Korean soldiers indicate that the regime has stressed the importance of self-destruction and suicide to avoid capture.

When pressed for additional details regarding the cases he mentioned, he refrained from providing further information, citing it as intelligence shared with South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS). The NIS did not respond to inquiries for comment on Tuesday.

According to Yang Uk, a defense analyst at the Asan Institute of Policy Studies, suicides among soldiers or spies not only demonstrate loyalty to the Kim Jong Un regime but also serve as a means to protect their families remaining in North Korea.

Ukrainian President Zelenskiy stated on Sunday that Kyiv is prepared to return captured North Korean soldiers to Kim Jong Un if he can facilitate the exchange for Ukrainians held in Russia. For some North Korean soldiers, however, the prospect of capture and repatriation to Pyongyang is perceived as a fate worse than death, according to Kim, a defector and former soldier. “Becoming a prisoner of war equates to treason. Being captured signifies betrayal.”