diff --git a/runtime/src/main/cpp/Memory.cpp b/runtime/src/main/cpp/Memory.cpp
index 0fb39b167da..129a107efa6 100644
--- a/runtime/src/main/cpp/Memory.cpp
+++ b/runtime/src/main/cpp/Memory.cpp
@@ -102,6 +102,8 @@ FrameOverlay exportFrameOverlay;
 volatile int allocCount = 0;
 volatile int aliveMemoryStatesCount = 0;
 
+KBoolean g_checkLeaks = KonanNeedDebugInfo;
+
 // TODO: can we pass this variable as an explicit argument?
 THREAD_LOCAL_VARIABLE MemoryState* memoryState = nullptr;
 THREAD_LOCAL_VARIABLE FrameOverlay* currentFrame = nullptr;
@@ -1724,10 +1726,16 @@ void deinitMemory(MemoryState* memoryState) {
   }
 #else
 #if USE_GC
-  if (IsStrictMemoryModel && lastMemoryState)
-    RuntimeAssert(allocCount == 0, "Memory leaks found");
-#endif
-#endif
+  if (IsStrictMemoryModel && lastMemoryState && allocCount > 0 && g_checkLeaks) {
+    char buf[1024];
+    konan::snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf),
+        "Memory leaks detected, %d objects leaked!\n"
+        "Use `Platform.isMemoryLeakCheckerActive = false` to avoid this check.\n", allocCount);
+    konan::consoleErrorUtf8(buf, konan::strnlen(buf, sizeof(buf)));
+    konan::abort();
+  }
+#endif  // USE_GC
+#endif  // TRACE_MEMORY
 
   PRINT_EVENT(memoryState)
   DEINIT_EVENT(memoryState)
@@ -2941,4 +2949,13 @@ void Kotlin_Any_share(ObjHeader* obj) {
   shareAny(obj);
 }
 
+KBoolean Konan_Platform_getMemoryLeakChecker() {
+  return g_checkLeaks;
+}
+
+void Konan_Platform_setMemoryLeakChecker(KBoolean value) {
+  g_checkLeaks = value;
+}
+
+
 } // extern "C"
diff --git a/runtime/src/main/cpp/Porting.cpp b/runtime/src/main/cpp/Porting.cpp
index 6d5dbb3c9f6..6a2d5c4320f 100644
--- a/runtime/src/main/cpp/Porting.cpp
+++ b/runtime/src/main/cpp/Porting.cpp
@@ -143,6 +143,7 @@ static void onThreadExitCallback(void* value) {
     free(record);
     record = next;
   }
+  pthread_setspecific(terminationKey, nullptr);
 }
 
 static void onThreadExitInit() {
diff --git a/runtime/src/main/kotlin/kotlin/native/Platform.kt b/runtime/src/main/kotlin/kotlin/native/Platform.kt
index 9f972db8436..f031823e94d 100644
--- a/runtime/src/main/kotlin/kotlin/native/Platform.kt
+++ b/runtime/src/main/kotlin/kotlin/native/Platform.kt
@@ -81,6 +81,17 @@ public object Platform {
     public val isDebugBinary: Boolean
         get() = Platform_isDebugBinary()
 
+    /**
+     * If the memory leak checker is activated, by default `true` in debug mode, `false` in release.
+     * When memory leak checker is activated, and leak is detected during last Kotlin context
+     * deinitialization process - error message with leak information is printed and application
+     * execution is aborted.
+     *
+     * @see isDebugBinary
+     */
+    public var isMemoryLeakCheckerActive: Boolean
+        get() = Platform_getMemoryLeakChecker()
+        set(value) = Platform_setMemoryLeakChecker(value)
 }
 
 @SymbolName("Konan_Platform_canAccessUnaligned")
@@ -99,4 +110,10 @@ private external fun Platform_getCpuArchitecture(): Int
 private external fun Platform_getMemoryModel(): Int
 
 @SymbolName("Konan_Platform_isDebugBinary")
-private external fun Platform_isDebugBinary(): Boolean
\ No newline at end of file
+private external fun Platform_isDebugBinary(): Boolean
+
+@SymbolName("Konan_Platform_getMemoryLeakChecker")
+private external fun Platform_getMemoryLeakChecker(): Boolean
+
+@SymbolName("Konan_Platform_setMemoryLeakChecker")
+private external fun Platform_setMemoryLeakChecker(value: Boolean): Unit