North Korea's Massive Military Enlistment Amid Rising Tensions

North Korea claims 1.4 million young people have joined its army amid heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula. This comes after North Korea's destruction of inter-Korean infrastructure and accusations against South Korea. Pyongyang vows action, escalating the volatile situation between the neighbors.

North Korean state media reported on Wednesday that approximately 1.4 million young individuals, including students and youth league officials, have enlisted or re-enlisted in the army within a week. The enlistees are poised to engage in what Pyongyang describes as a 'sacred war of destroying the enemy with the arms of the revolution,' according to the KCNA news agency.

This declaration of mass enlistment comes amid soaring tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Last year, North Korean media made similar proclamations about citizens volunteering to join the military against the United States. The current figures arise just as North Korea has demolished sections of inter-Korean roads and rail lines on its side of the heavily fortified border, leading South Korea's military to issue warning shots.

Accusations continue to fly between the two Koreas, with Pyongyang claiming that Seoul has sent drones into North Korean airspace, while clashes have erupted over balloons of trash sent from the North. The KCNA report ominously warned: 'If a war breaks out, the ROK will be wiped off the map. As it wants a war, we are willing to put an end to its existence.'

(With inputs from agencies.)