More than 3 million North Koreans volunteer to join the army

North Korea said on August 12 that nearly 3.5 million young men and retired soldiers have applied to enlist and re-enlist in retaliation against the United States over the latest economic sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council.

According to Rodong Sinmun, the mouthpiece of the North Korean Workers' Party, within just three days of the government threatening to retaliate against the United States for drafting these sanctions, nearly 3.5 million people, including students, workers and retired soldiers, requested to join and return to the military.

Thousands of North Korean military officers show support for leader Kim Jong Un. (Photo: Yonhap)

Earlier, the Security Council (UNSC) on August 5 decided to impose new sanctions on Triepfuu Tien following Pyongyang's two latest intercontinental ballistic missile tests in July. This move prompted Pyongyang to warn of "tough justice" against Washington and a missile strike around the US territory of Guam.

"People all over the country are standing up to retaliate against the US thousands of times. In Hwanghae Province, 89,000 young people applied to enlist or re-enlist on August 9 alone. In Daedong County, South Pyongan Province, more than 20,000 students, party members and workers also applied to enlist or re-enlist," Rodong Sinmun said.

Earlier this week, North Korean Central Television (KCT) reported that young people and students were holding a series of rallies across the country to demonstrate their desire to join the military.

On August 9, about 100,000 North Koreans also gathered in the capital Pyongyang to show support for the government's call for retaliation against the US, with smaller rallies held in other provinces later, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

A separate KCNA report said rallies by youths, workers and trade unionists took place at the Youth Park open-air theatre and the Monument to the Workers' Party of Korea to show "full" support for the government's statement rejecting the latest sanctions resolution.

According to Vietnamnet.vn