North Korea claims 1.4 million youth enlist after alleged drone incident

North Korea has stated that about 14 million young people have signed up for military service or returned to the army this week. The country blames Seoul for a drone incident that it claims brought the “tense situation to the brink of war“

This statement comes after North Korea accused Seoul of sending drones over Pyongyang that dropped a “huge number“ of anti-North leaflets around Oct 9-10 2024. In response North Korea destroyed inter-Korean roads and rail lines on its side of the border on Oct 15 2024‚ and warned that the South would “pay a dear price“

The young people‚ including 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‚“ the official KCNA news agency said

If a war breaks out‚ the ROK will be wiped off the map As it wants a war‚ we are willing to put an end to its existence

North Korea has made similar claims about young people rushing to enlist during times of high tension‚ though its hard to confirm such statements from the isolated state. Last year state media reported on 800000 of its citizens volunteering to join the Norths military to fight against the United States. It also said in 2017 that nearly 35 million workers‚ party members and soldiers volunteered to serve

According to data from the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) North Korea has 128 million active soldiers and about 600000 reservists‚ with 57 million Worker/Peasant Red Guard reservists among many unarmed units

Seouls defence ministry didnt comment on the latest KCNA report‚ but has warned that if North Korea inflicts harm on the safety of South Koreans that day will be “the end of its regime“

Later on Oct 16 2024‚ vice foreign ministers of South Korea‚ the United States and Japan held a news conference after talks in Seoul and strongly condemned the North for “intentionally raising tension“ by claiming the drone intrusion and sealing the southern border

Western countries have long accused North Korea of sending weapons to help Russia fight in Ukraine. On Oct 16 2024‚ Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the North was also sending personnel‚ becoming effectively a participant in the war

Asked about that issue‚ U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said there were signs of the Norths enhanced material support for Russia “which is being felt on the battlefield“‚ but that Washington was still evaluating the reports

The three officials earlier in the day announced a new‚ 11-nation team to monitor the enforcement of sanctions against the North after Russia and China thwarted a U.N. mechanism

An official at Seouls unification ministry handling inter-Korean affairs said Pyongyang might be seeking to consolidate peoples unity and build logic for a provocation by kindling and exaggerating tension against the South. There also seemed to be public pressure on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un over economic challenges‚ the official said

Park Won-gon‚ a professor at the Ewha Womans University in Seoul‚ said North Korea appeared to be using the drone incident to rally people against the South in line with its push to sever cross-border ties and promote a “two-state“ system

Early 2024‚ Kim declared South Korea a “primary foe“ and said unification was no longer possible‚ and the North has since been taking steps to cut inter-Korean relations

The two Koreas are still technically at war after their 1950-53 war ended in an armistice not a peace treaty