The North Korean Regime’s Inhuman Attempt to Freeze-Dry Its War Dead in Russia

Just as the Russia–Ukraine war, initiated by Russia’s unlawful invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, was entering its fourth year, the international community was shocked by reports alleging that the North Korean regime has refused to repatriate the bodies of its soldiers who were unlawfully deployed and subsequently killed on the battlefield at Kursk, instead seeking to preserve them through a controversial “freeze-drying” technique known as “promession.” 

Even though the Kim Jong Un regime’s atrocious human rights record has long been widely recognized, its refusal to bring home its war dead and its bizarre approach to managing their remains further underscore the regime’s brutality and disregard for basic human dignity.

Historically, how a nation handles the remains of its fallen soldiers has had a significant impact on military morale and served as a reflection of national dignity. 

Ensuring that those who sacrificed their lives for their nation are respectfully repatriated and honored is a critical part of sustaining the courage and willingness to sacrifice of those soldiers who are alive. The United States, the world’s leading power, tirelessly searches for its soldiers’ remains even in the remotest regions of the world. 

For example, in the 1990s, the U.S. negotiated with North Korea to excavate and repatriate the remains of American soldiers from the Korean War, demonstrating its commitment to honoring the nation’s fallen heroes.

Similarly, South Korea has an organization dedicated to recovering its fallen military members, putting forth every effort to return their remains to their families. 

South Korea has also continually repatriated discovered remains of Chinese soldiers to their homeland, demonstrating both humanitarian values and respect for national dignity.

In stark contrast, the North Korean regime has shown an utter lack of respect even for its own fallen by refusing to repatriate them and instead engaging in an unprecedented and morally reprehensible attempt to freeze-dry their remains. This is a clear demonstration that the regime prioritizes its own security over basic human decency.

Deceptive attempt to erase evidence of illegal military involvement in Russia’s war

This act of indecency by Kim Jong Un’s regime appears to be part of a deceptive attempt to conceal its illegal actions. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a blatant violation of international law. Labeling it a “special military operation” does not obscure the fact that Russia’s act of aggression has claimed countless lives. Most nations, with the exception of a few authoritarian states such as North Korea and Belarus, have condemned the invasion and joined sanctions against Russia. Assisting that nation in this unlawful war constitutes an equally undeniable breach of international law.

Regardless, North Korea has supplied ammunition, missiles, and other military equipment in support. And after strengthening ties with Vladimir Putin at the Vostochny summit in September 2023, Kim Jong Un escalated his support by deploying around 12,000 North Korean soldiers to Kursk, a Russian territory occupied by Ukrainian forces. These North Korean troops have reportedly suffered approximately 4,000 casualties.

However, neither Russia nor North Korea has officially acknowledged this troop deployment. North Korean soldiers reportedly carry Russian military identification, wear Russian uniforms, and fight as part of Russian military units.

According to reports, most of the fallen North Korean soldiers have been found in horrific condition, decapitated or with severely damaged faces. Eyewitness accounts suggest these gruesome injuries result from either suicide drone attacks or soldiers detonating explosives on themselves just before capture.

Reports have it that Russia attempted to return hundreds of dead North Korean soldiers, but North Korea has refused them. Instead, North Korean officials stationed abroad have reportedly been looking into facilities capable of rapidly freezing and pulverizing human remains—a practice known as promession.

Promession, developed by Swedish biologist Susanne Wiigh-Mäsak in 1997, involves rapidly freezing human remains with liquid nitrogen at −196℃ and then vibrating and dehydrating them into powder before burial. However, the practice has not been widely adopted, due to psychological resistance as well as practical concerns. North Korea’s efforts to pursue the use of this technique, despite these issues, suggests a deliberate attempt to permanently destroy evidence of its unlawful troop deployment.

Concerns over regime instability if remains are returned to families

The primary motivation behind the Kim Jong Un regime’s immoral actions appears to be the fear that returning soldiers’ remains in such horrific condition to grieving families could trigger enough public outrage to destabilize the regime itself.

The North Korean regime has rigorously concealed the truth about its troop deployment to Russia, even from its own soldiers. This was recently revealed through testimonies of two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukrainian forces. They stated that they had been told they were traveling abroad for training. The regime also lied to the North Korean people, telling the soldiers had simply gone overseas for training.

However, it is only a matter of time before these lies are brought to light. As casualties mount and concealing the truth becomes impossible, the North Korean regime has begun notifying families of soldier deaths, demanding absolute secrecy while offering compensation such as televisions, electronic devices, and additional food.

No matter how strictly a regime maintains control through surveillance and oppression, parents would not just suffer and do nothing once they realize their children have been sent to die senselessly on a foreign battlefield. Should this appalling reality spread across North Korea, it could profoundly unsettle the population.

Kim Jong Un’s betrayal of his people will lead to the downfall of his regime

The unlawful deployment of North Korean troops to Russia is solely driven by Kim Jong Un’s desperate effort to secure his regime’s survival. Due to its efforts to further develop its nuclear weapons arsenal, the international community has exacted punishing sanctions, leading to collapse of North Korea’s economy and great suffering among its people. Kim’s alliance with Vladimir Putin is seen as a way for the former to overcome these challenges and preserve his hereditary dictatorship.

However, sending young North Koreans to die on a foreign battlefield and then preventing their remains from returning to the grieving parents goes beyond being profoundly inhumane and will lead to the regime’s collapse—the exact opposite of Kim’s intentions. North Korea must end its unlawful conduct before it’s too late and begin actually practicing its self-proclaimed policy of “putting the people first.”