North Korea’s state media recently reported a significant surge in military enlistment, claiming that over 1.4 million young people and students registered to join the armed forces over just two days, on the 14th and 15th of October. This announcement coincides with heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula, particularly after North Korea reportedly destroyed sections of roads and railways connecting to South Korea. In response, South Korean forces conducted retaliatory fire.
On the 16th, the Korean Central News Agency confirmed that North Korea had indeed destroyed part of the railway leading to the South, citing a constitutional designation of South Korea as a “hostile nation.” The report outlined how the North Korean People’s Army, following directives from the ruling Workers’ Party, executed a demolition to completely seal off segments of roads and railway lines in Kangwon Province and the Kaesong area, effectively severing their connections with South Korea.
This action was characterized as an unavoidable and legitimate measure in response to a seriously unsafe environment, which was allegedly provoked by South Korea’s provocative military political actions. Furthermore, the report indicated that this incident is part of a phased plan to permanently fortify the closed southern border. Significantly, this marks the first instance where North Korean state media acknowledged a constitutional revision that identifies South Korea as an enemy nation.
In a related development, North Korea claimed that within a span of two days, approximately 1.4 million youth have expressed their intention to enlist in the military, motivated by a desire to participate in what they termed a “sacred war” to eliminate enemies with revolutionary weapons. In the backdrop of these tensions, reports surfaced indicating that both the United States and Russia have begun to engage more actively, with the White House urging restraint from North Korea and the Kremlin stating that they would assist North Korea should conflict arise on the peninsula.
In response to the evolving situation, 11 nations, including the U.S., Japan, and South Korea, announced the formation of a new monitoring group to keep a close watch on North Korea’s compliance with sanctions. Notably, North Korean media had previously reported that last year, citizens were also voluntarily enlisting to confront the United States.
Tensions escalated further following accusations from North Korea regarding South Korean drones allegedly flying over Pyongyang to drop pamphlets. As a countermeasure, North Korea ordered its border forces to prepare for potential engagement, leading to the demolition of two symbols of peace representing connections between the two nations. North Korea ominously stated that should war break out, South Korea would be wiped off the map, asserting a willingness to end its existence if provoked.
In response, South Korean military forces issued warning shots toward North Korea. Additionally, following diplomatic consultations among high-ranking officials from South Korea, the United States, and Japan, it was announced that with the dissolution of the UN Security Council’s North Korea sanctions committee’s expert group, a new Multilateral Sanction Monitoring Team (MSMT) will be established to closely oversee any potential illegal arms transfers conducted by North Korea.
Finally, reports from the Moscow Times indicated that Russia and North Korea signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty in June, which outlines military assistance obligations in the event of aggression against either nation. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reiterated on the 15th that Russia would support North Korea if conflict erupted on the Korean Peninsula, stating, “this is quite clear.”
