The volunteers promised to completely wipe out North Korea’s enemies and unify the 2 Koreas
North Korea has said it has received about 800,000 applications from volunteers to join or reenlist in the nation’s military to fight against the United States (U.S.).
The volunteers promised to completely wipe out North Korea’s enemies and unify the 2 Koreas – North Korea and South Korea.
The claim came after North Korea on launched its Hwasong-17 Inter Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) in response to ongoing U.S.-South Korea military drills. Pyongyang said the ICBM travelled some 1,000km (620 miles) before accurately landing at a pre-set location in the East Sea of Korea, which is also known as the Sea of Japan.
The North’s ballistic missiles are banned under United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions and the launch drew condemnation from South Korea, U.S. and Japan.
North Korea fired the ICBM into the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, hours before the President of South Korea – Yoon Suk Yeol met the Prime Minister of Japan – Fumio Kishida in Tokyo for a Summit where the two leaders discussed ways to counter the nuclear-armed North and the growing influence of China.
South Korean and U.S. forces are also holding 11 days of joint drills, dubbed “Freedom Shield 23”, held on a scale not seen since 2017 to counter the North’s growing threats.
The North Korean Newspaper – Rodong Sinum reported, “Youth Vanguard rose up at once to join the war to defend the homeland and the war to destroy the enemy,” referred to in the article as the “U.S. Imperialists and puppet traitors [who] are trying to destroy our independence and right to live and develop.”
While the ages of those who reportedly signed up were not announced, all men in North Korea must serve in the military for at least 10 years and women for at least three years due to the country’s conscription system.
Besides, North Korea is not delighted with the President of the U.S. – Joe Biden’s plan to host Yeol and his wife at the White House next month. The State visit will be the second of Biden’s Presidency, underscoring close ties between the U.S. and South Korea. The conservative Yeol and his Administration have made strengthening the U.S.-South Korea alliance a key foreign policy priority. Biden, likewise, has sought to nurture the relationship, including with the symbolic marker of his trip to Seoul in May 2022, his first stop on his inaugural trip to Asia as the President.
