North Korean soldiers encouraged to commit suicide?

Credit: Torsten Pursche / Adobe Stock

Around 300 North Korean soldiers were killed out of the thousands deployed by North Korea to Russia to support its ally, according to his statements.

According to him, notes were found on these bodies indicating “that the North Korean authorities pressured them to commit suicide”, including by “blowing themselves up before their capture”, to prevent them from provide information.

A mutual defense agreement

For context, Russia and North Korea concluded a mutual defense agreement in June 2024, which notably provides for reciprocal “immediate military aid” in the event of an attack against one of the two countries. It was signed last November.

Since then, Ukraine, the United States and South Korea have accused Pyongyang of sending more than 10,000 troops to help Russian forces.

Despite these directives, two North Korean soldiers were taken prisoner this Saturday, and are currently being questioned in Kyiv. The Ukrainian intelligence service SBU released a video of them being interrogated in hospital bunks.

North Korean soldier taken prisoner by Ukrainian army dies, Seoul says

“blown up with a grenade”

According to the NIS, South Korean intelligence, one of the two soldiers revealed that he had received military training from Russian forces after his arrival in November.

Volodymyr Zelensky proposed this Monday to exchange these soldiers for Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russian forces.

Ukrainian special forces said on Telegram that same day that they had killed “17 North Korean soldiers” and that an 18th had “blown himself up with a grenade” during an “assault” he led. with other North Korean soldiers.

Neither Russia nor North Korea have reacted at this stage. Neither country has yet acknowledged that North Korean soldiers were deployed to help the Russians.