North Korea's state media outlet has claimed that 1.4 million young people joined the Korean People's Army (KPA) amid escalating tensions with its southern neighbor.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) put forward this claim on Oct. 16, noting that 1.4 million young people had applied to join or return to the KPA. It added that the youngsters, which include students and youth league officials who had signed petitions to join the army, were determined to fight in a "sacred war of destroying the enemy with the arms of the revolution."
"If a war breaks out, the [Republic of Korea] will be wiped off the map," the KCNA continued. "As it wants a war, we are willing to put an end to its existence."
The report from the media outlet came a day after Pyongyang accused Seoul of sending drones over the North Korean capital that scattered a "huge number" of anti-North leaflets. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea denounced the provocative drone incursion, claiming that it had brought the "tense situation to the brink of war."
North Korea then blew up inter-Korean roads and rail lines on its side of the 38th parallel on Oct. 16. It warned that the South would "pay a dear price." (Related: North Korea DEMOLISHES Arch of Reunification that symbolizes eventual union with the South.)
Pyongyang has previously made similar claims about young people scrambling to enlist at a time of heightened tensions, according to Reuters. However, the outlet mentioned that such statements "are difficult to verify" due to the hermit kingdom's isolation.
"Last year, state media reported on 800,000 of its citizens volunteering to join the North's military to fight against the United States. It also said in 2017 that nearly 3.5 million workers, party members and soldiers volunteered to serve," the news outlet reported.
Pyongyang fanning the flames of war
According to data from the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, North Korea has 1.28 million active soldiers and about 600,000 reservists. The nation also has many unarmed units, including 5.7 million reservists of the Worker-Peasant Red Guards. "The two Koreas are still technically at war after their 1950-1953 war ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty," Reuters noted.
The South Korean Ministry of National Defense did not comment on the latest KCNA report. It nevertheless warned that if Pyongyang inflicts harm on the safety of South Koreans, that day will be "the end of its regime."
On the same day as the KCNA report, vice foreign ministers of South Korea, the U.S. and Japan held a news conference after talks in Seoul. They strongly condemned the North for "intentionally raising tension" by accusing Seoul of the drone intrusion and sealing its southern border.
Meanwhile, an unnamed official at South Korea's Ministry of Unification told the news agency that Pyongyang might be seeking to consolidate people's unity and build logic for a provocation by kindling and exaggerating tension against Seoul. The official responsible for inter-Korean affairs at the ministry added that there also seemed to be public pressure on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un over economic challenges.
Ewha Womans University professor Park Won-gon meanwhile said North Korea appeared to be using the drone incident to rally people against the South. This, he added, lines up with Pyongyang's push to sever cross-border ties and promote a "two-state" system.
"If you look at the interviews that keep appearing in [North Korean] state media, there are very harsh words toward the South," Park explained. "That's their typical public mobilization propaganda."
Reuters recounted that "early this year, Kim declared South Korea a 'primary foe' and said unification was no longer possible. The North has since been taking steps to cut inter-Korean relations."
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