Photo:Colonel General Kim often clutches a pen and notebook while standing next to dictator Kim Jong-un. KCNA/Reuters

According to South Korean intelligence, North Korea is using extreme methods to prevent the capture of its military, including forcing them to commit suicide. This information came amid reports of significant losses of North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region, where it is estimated that around 3,000 people were killed or wounded.

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reports that these losses are the result of North Korean soldiers’ lack of understanding of modern warfare, which includes ineffective shooting at long-range drones and other tactical errors. However, the most shocking report is that the DPRK command is forcing its soldiers to commit suicide if they are threatened with capture.

At the intelligence briefing, it was noted that there were cases when North Korean soldiers, having been captured in Ukraine, did not express their intention to defect to South Korea, which may indicate deep ideological brainwashing or fear of reprisals against their families in their homeland.

These findings raise serious concerns in the international community about violations of human rights and military norms, as coercion to commit suicide is a gross violation of international law. According to analysts, such actions could have far-reaching consequences for the DPRK regime, increasing the country’s isolation and condemnation by the international community.