North Korea says about 800,000 of its residents have volunteered to affix or re-enlist in the national army to fight the United States, a North Korean state newspaper reported Saturday.
About 800,000 students and employees across the country expressed a desire to enlist or re-enlist in the military on Friday alone to oppose the United States, newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported.
“The growing enthusiasm of young people to affix the army is an illustration of the unwavering will of the young generation to mercilessly eradicate the war maniacs who’re making a final try and liquidate our precious socialist country and achieve the great reason for national reunification without fail and a transparent manifestation of their fervent patriotism,” said Rodong Sinmun of the North.
![North Korea claims that more than 800,000 citizens have volunteered for the country's military.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/newspress-collage-26190449-1679131223500.jpg?1679116890&w=1024&1679116890)
The North’s claims followed North Korea on Thursday fired Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in response to ongoing US and South Korean military exercises.
North Korea fired an ICBM into the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan on Thursday, hours before the South Korean president’s flight to Tokyo for peak which discussed ways to counter a nuclear-armed North.
Northern ballistic missiles are banned under UN Security Council resolutions and their launch has been condemned by governments in Seoul, Washington and Tokyo.
![North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watches the country launch the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile on Thursday.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/AFP_33BH2HZ.jpg?w=1024)
![About 800,000 students and workers nationwide on Friday alone expressed a desire to enlist or re-enlist in the military to oppose the United States,](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/AFP_338W9GD.jpg?w=1024)
South Korean and U.S. forces launched an 11-day joint exercise on Monday, dubbed “Freedom Shield 23,” on a scale not seen since 2017 to counter growing threats from the North.
Kim accused the United States and South Korea of escalating tensions over military exercises.