Lars Vargö was interviewed by Dagens Nyheter on Kim Jong-Un’s speech about North Korean soldiers in Ukraine and its ideological implications
May 4, 2026: Lars Vargö, Head of the Stockholm Korea Center, was interviewed by Dagens Nyheter about Kim Jong-Un’s speech about North Korean soldiers in Ukraine and its ideological implications.
“The fact that Kim Jong-un is now speaking openly about this may also be an attempt to make South Korea fear North Korean soldiers,” says Lars Vargö.
“Orders of this kind may already have been issued directly to soldiers in the field. A more public proclamation now may be intended to show that this is how North Korean soldiers fight. It’s a message to the South.”
“Kim Jong-Un is trying to create an ideology in which soldiers view fighting as an honor—even if it means dying.”