"1.4 Million Military Volunteers to Punish Enemies"
Intended to Strengthen Regime Unity by Raising Residents' Sense of Crisis
North Korea has begun promoting enlistment in the People's Army even to students of high-level middle schools, which correspond to high schools in South Korea. In the past, North Korea has also publicized that young people volunteer for enlistment or re-enlistment during periods of conflict with external forces, raising the residents' sense of crisis, which is interpreted as an intention to strengthen its offensive against South Korea.
Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) announced on the 20th that the number of volunteers for enlistment and re-enlistment, including high-level middle school students, has reached 1.4 million. Earlier, on the 18th of this month, it claimed that 800,000 young people had resolved to enlist in a single day (the 17th).
The agency reported, "The rising anger and hostility against the reckless nuclear war provocations by the US imperialists and the South Korean puppet traitors are erupting like wildfire across the country," and "As of the 19th, the number of young people nationwide fervently petitioning to enlist and re-enlist in the People's Army has reached about 1.4 million."
It continued, "The patriotic youths, who will be the first to sound the victorious battle cry of the Great Fatherland Reunification War by delivering merciless punishment to the enemies, have expressed their pledge to victory in every petition," explaining that 'petition meetings' for enlistment are being held daily across the country.
According to the agency, 950,000 working youths from factories, enterprises, and farms nationwide?including Kim Chaek Iron and Steel Complex, Namhung Youth Chemical Complex, Sunchon Area Youth Coal Mine Complex, Pyongyang 326th Front General Plant, and Anak County Oguk Farm?have resolved to enlist or re-enlist. It is said that 180,000 of them are from North Pyongan Province alone.
In particular, the agency stated, "Not only university students but also high-level middle school students across the country have expressed their resolute determination to join the fight, holding guns like the telephone youth guards, to repel the invaders," adding "Hundreds of thousands of Red Youth Guard members from high-level middle schools nationwide have petitioned to enlist in the People's Army with a lofty resolve to completely annihilate and wipe out the heinous enemy forces who intend to drown their beloved hometowns in flames."
North Korea has previously claimed that young people volunteer for enlistment whenever tensions escalate with the US or South Korea, conducting internal and external propaganda. This is interpreted as an effort to raise residents' sense of crisis internally to strengthen regime cohesion and to showcase this externally. Recently, North Korea has continued provocations, such as launching missiles every 2 to 3 days in response to the South Korea-US joint exercise 'Freedom Shield.'
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