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North Korea says 1.4 million 'young avengers' want to mobilize into army
Earlier this week, Kim Jong-un accused South Korea of launching drones carrying leaflets, calling it a military provocation. On October 15, North Korea blew up a road leading to South Korea. Now Pyongyang has said it wants to recruit 1.4 million people into its army.
More than 1.4 million young North Koreans have expressed interest in joining the military amid renewed tensions in South Korea's border region, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
"More than 1.4 million young people have expressed their intention to enlist and return to the People's Army. The entire country is determined to punish the scum of the Republic of Korea who have violated the sovereignty and security of our sacred republic. <...> If war breaks out, Korea will be destroyed. "We are ready to put an end to its existence because it wants war," the statement said.
The Korean Central News Agency stressed that the "ardent passion" of young people to join the army is "a vivid expression of the burning hatred and revenge of the new generation" who are ready to punish with weapons those who want to start a war.
Earlier this week, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un accused South Korea of launching drones carrying propaganda leaflets, calling it a military provocation. He called for “immediate military action” to establish “military deterrence” and protect sovereignty.
On October 15, North Korea blew up two sections of a road leading south. The Korean army counterattacked. The government strongly condemned North Korea's actions, stressing that the roadside bombing incident violated the inter-Korean agreement.
Joseon was divided into the DPRK and the Republic of Korea after Japan's defeat in World War II in 1945 (the Korean Peninsula had been occupied before that). The United States and the Soviet Union initially thought that the division would be temporary and that Korea would soon be reunited. However, the Korean War broke out and the Korean Peninsula was officially divided into two countries along the 38th parallel. Technically, the two countries are still at war because no peace treaty has been signed. The South and North Korean governments have long sought to reunify the Korean Peninsula. However, in December last year, Kim Jong-un finally abandoned this idea. According to him, a crisis situation is currently being created on the Korean Peninsula that is getting out of control due to "reckless confrontational enthusiasm and military provocations" between the United States and South Korea. "War" is becoming a reality.