Why did they shout “Glory to Kim Jong-un” in the face of death?
The ideological and mental training North Korean soldiers undergo is more rigorous than that of ordinary citizens or cadres. Still images | Telegram channel of Ukraine Special Forces
According to recent reports from the U.S., South Korea, and Ukraine, the number of casualties among North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia is somewhere between 1,000 and 3,000.
In one stark image within this statistic, the Kyiv Independent last month cited testimony from a Ukrainian special forces soldier who had participated in a mission to capture North Korean soldiers. North Korean soldiers shouted “Glory to Kim Jong Un” before attempting to detonate grenades and being shot and killed by Ukrainian forces, he said.
This incident reinforces the inhumane nature of the Kim regime. Instead of thinking about personal beliefs or family at the moment of death, his soldiers glorify their dictator.
North Korean citizens are indoctrinated from the age of three to be loyal to the regime. Starting from daycare and kindergarten, through to graduation from high school, they are systematically taught obedience to collective values, loyalty to the Party and the leader, and the importance of discipline.
Even after entering society, loyalty education continues through various social organizations like the Youth League and the Workers’ League. This structure is designed to meticulously control individuals’ thoughts and actions.
This relentless education turns citizens into “human weapons” who glorify the dictator even in death. In such a repressive system, you would expect citizens to voice discontent, but most North Koreans opt for obedience. This is because even a single word of complaint can lead to severe punishment. Government oppression and coercion is accepted as their fate.
Soldiers are no exception. The ideological and mental training they undergo is of course more rigorous than that of ordinary citizens or cadres.
From the moment 18-year-olds start their compulsory service, they are relentlessly indoctrinated with the idea that they must sacrifice their lives for the Party, the leader, the country, and the people.
Thus, the cry of “Glory to Kim Jong Un” is not just a slogan. It is a consequence of unending indoctrination. They come to value the political life granted by the regime over their biological life given by their parents, internalizing the distorted belief that “whether you live or die for Kim Jong-un, it is an honor.”
In normal countries, efforts are made to protect the lives of soldiers in wartime. They develop advanced personal combat equipment and even use robots to minimize casualties. However, the North Koreans deployed in the Russia-Ukraine war have been used as bait to lure drone attacks, and in some cases, to prevent desertion, soldiers have been forced to shoot each other or commit suicide if they are captured. This inhumane practice was revealed by South Korea’s National Intelligence Service.
According to the American outlet Global Defense Corporation, the North Koreans reportedly sustained over 500 casualties after a missile strike on November 20.
The government in Pyongyang, meanwhile, has remained silent about the dispatch of its soldiers to the war and their deaths.
Sewon is the North Korean-born founder and CEO of NK Times, a Seoul-based media outlet focused on North Korea. Drawing on his personal experience living there, he strives for transparency and accuracy in reporting, working to inform readers worldwide about the realities of North Korea.
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