Kim Jong Un has confirmed for the first time that North Korean soldiers follow a policy of killing themselves on the battlefield to avoid capture while fighting in Russia’s war against Ukraine. Speaking at the inauguration of a memorial museum dedicated to North Korean soldiers killed in the conflict, the North Korean dictator praised what he described as the “extraordinary heroism” of troops who “unhesitatingly opted for self-blasting, suicide attack”, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency. North Korea remains the only third party to deploy troops directly to the frontlines of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, as part of a deal that cemented the axis between Vladimir Putin’s invading forces and the east Asian hermit kingdom. An estimated 15,000 North Korean soldiers have been deployed to Russia to support combat operations, including efforts to recapture parts of the western Kursk region, according to South Korean intelligence. The exact number remains unclear, but nearly 2,000 are believed to have died while serving alongside Russian forces. The memorial to these soldiers was unveiled on Sunday in Pyongyang, …