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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Luke Harding in Dnipro and agencies

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

Kim Jong-un speaking at a lectern in front of a large statue
Kim Jong-un speaks during the inauguration of a memorial in Pyongyang on Sunday. Photograph: KCNA/EPA

Kim Jong-un has praised North Korean soldiers who blew themselves up with grenades in order to avoid capture while fighting Ukrainian forces in Russia’s western Kursk region, confirming the existence of the extreme battlefield policy.

Mounting evidence, including from intelligence reports and testimonies of defectors, has indicated North Korean soldiers are explicitly told to resort to self-detonation or other forms of suicide to avoid falling into enemy hands.

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