According to official media, almost 1.4 million North Koreans have recruited or re-enlisted in the armed forces.
As a deterrence against the United States and South Korea, which he has accused of conducting military drills utilizing American nuclear capabilities, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has reportedly encouraged his people to prepare for a nuclear invasion, according to state media.
Sunday saw the launch of a short-range ballistic missile from the Hermit Kingdom toward the sea, and Kim’s words were carried live by KCNA, the country’s official news agency. The South Korean and Japanese governments have estimated the missile went 500 miles before it crashed into the ocean off the east coast.
Kim, who oversaw the test, said the exercises increased the military’s actual fighting capabilities and emphasized the imperative to ensure its ready posture for any “immediate and overwhelming nuclear response” via such drills.
According to KCNA, Kim stated the North must “urgently” boost its nuclear war deterrence since its enemies are “becoming increasingly visible in their attempts for an attack on” the country.
High battle readiness of the DPRK’s nuclear force will “forcefully discourage, restrain, and manage the enemy’s reckless maneuvers and provocations,” Kim was quoted as saying.
KCNA photos show Kim watching with his daughter as the missile explodes in midair just before it hits the target.
For weeks, U.S. B-1B strategic bombers have joined their South Korean counterparts in joint air and sea drills as part of the annual U.S.-South Korea exercises. The first large-scale Ssangyong amphibious landing maneuvers between the two countries in five years will begin on Monday, March 25, and last through Wednesday, April 3. The North Korean government has been quite public about its disapproval of military drills, which it likens to practice for an invasion.
KCNA also reported that more than twice as many North Koreans as had been previously estimated—1.4 million—had enrolled or re-enlisted over the weekend to fight against South Korean and American soldiers.