Kim Jong Un urges North Korean youth to prepare for war in Ukraine, Reuters says

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said during a meeting with youth league delegates that the younger generation should become the "vanguard" in carrying out state tasks, including preparing to take part in the war against Ukraine on Russia's side.

Source: Reuters, citing North Korea's state news agency KCNA

Details: Kim Jong Un made the statement during a gathering of delegates of the 11th Congress of the Socialist Patriotic Youth League, which is held in Pyongyang every five years for citizens aged 14 to 30 and serves as a key tool for mobilising the population.

Kim called for stronger ideological discipline among young people and described the league as a key force in implementing party decisions.

Quote from Reuters: "In a letter published on Friday, the ruling Workers' Party explicitly ​linked youth loyalty to Pyongyang's involvement in the Ukraine war, telling the congress ‌that ⁠young soldiers sent on overseas operations had 'become bombs and flames' in defending the country's honour."

Details: The focus on control over young people comes amid intensified repression against foreign cultural influence. Being exposed to South Korean music, films and slang is considered a serious political crime in North Korea.

South Korea's National Intelligence Service reported that as of February 2026, about 11,000 North Korean troops were deployed in Russia's frontline Kursk Oblast. Of these, 10,000 were combat troops and 1,000 engineer troops. The intelligence service also reported that about 6,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or injured fighting for Russia in the war against Ukraine.

Background:

• On 26 April, North Korea opened the Memorial Museum of Foreign Military Operations, which honours troops who fought alongside Russian forces against Ukraine. A Russian delegation led by Defence Minister Andrei Belousov attended the opening.
• In addition, Kim Jong Un described North Korean soldiers who committed suicide on the battlefield to avoid capture while fighting in Russia's war against Ukraine as "heroes".

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