North Korea Says 1.4M Apply to Join Army Amid Tension With South

Facts

North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Wednesday reported that over 1.4M youth had enlisted in the armed forces this week amid a 'tense situation' with the South over alleged drone intrusion.^[1]^[2]
KCNA released photos of students and youth league leaders signing petitions, threatening a 'sacred war of destroying the enemy with the arms of the revolution.'^[3]
'Hundreds of thousands' of Young Red Guards, a paramilitary organization of North Korean students aged 14-16, also reportedly vowed to boost enlistment so as to 'wipe out the group of heinous enemies.'^[4]
North Korea has alleged that Seoul used drones to drop anti-North Korean leaflets over Pyongyang. It retaliated on Tuesday by blowing up inter-Korean highways and rail lines on its side, while warning that the South would 'pay a dear price.'^[5]
North Korea has alleged that the drone incident was a grave violation of its sovereignty, while the South is yet to respond to reports of a surge in army enlistment from KCNA.^[6]^[2]
Last year, North Korean state media had reported 800K citizens volunteering to join its military to fight the US, though this has not been verified.^[1]

Pro-North Korea narrative, as provided by KCNA Watch. Pyongyang is responding to the South's provocations, and millions of young people are determined to protect the country against all foes, including the US and its regional proxies. The South is violating the DPRK's sovereignty, and if war breaks out, the North will wipe the ROK off the map.
Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by CNN. North Korean propaganda is spiraling out of control as tensions increase on the Korean Peninsula. Kim Jong Un has once again threatened to destroy South Korea with nuclear weapons if invaded. Both administrations had long said that peaceful reunification was their ultimate objective, but the North is no longer pursuing those aspirations.