On Saturday, the state newspaper of North Korea reported that 800,000 North Koreans had willingly enrolled to fight against the United States.
Rodong Sinmun said that 800,000 students and workers expressed interest in enlisting or returning to the military in order to oppose the United States on Friday alone.
The North’s Rodong Sinmun claimed, “The surging enthusiasm of young people to join the army is evidence of their unwavering willingness to mercilessly eradicate the war maniacs making last-ditch efforts to destroy our cherished socialist country.”
Thursday, in response to ongoing military exercises between the United States and South Korea, North Korea launched an ICBM, the Hwasong-17, and made this declaration.
North Korea fired the Missile into the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan on Thursday, hours before South Korea’s president was to go to Tokyo for a summit on methods to confront the nuclear-armed North.
As North Korea’s ballistic missiles violate UN Security Council resolutions, South Korea, the United States, and Japan all released comments criticizing the launch.
On Monday, South Korean and United States military launched up 11 days of joint drills dubbed “Freedom Shield 23,” the largest of its kind since 2017. Training is designed to discourage North Korean aggression.
Kim stated that the military exercises between the United States and South Korea contributed to the escalation of tensions.
