North Korea has announced that over 1.4 million young people have volunteered to join or rejoin the Korean People’s Army (KPA) in response to what Pyongyang describes as a serious provocation from South Korea.

The incident allegedly involves drones from Seoul scattering propaganda leaflets over Pyongyang, which North Korea claims violated its sovereignty and could lead to “armed conflict and even war.”

According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), this surge of enlistments occurred over just two days, October 14 and 15. The volunteers reportedly include youth league officials, students, and workers from various industries across the country.

“If a war breaks out, the Republic of Korea [ROK] will be wiped off the map. Since it wants war, we are willing to put an end to its existence,” KCNA stated, emphasizing the North’s readiness for military conflict if tensions escalate.

Pyongyang has portrayed this mass enlistment as a show of national unity, driven by the desire to defend the country and retaliate against what it describes as South Korea’s hostile actions.

KCNA depicted the volunteers as motivated by a desire to “punish the scum who committed a hideous crime” and to “plunge the enemy into an abyss of ruin.” The report emphasized the recruits’ zeal, presenting their decision to enlist as part of a broader commitment to defending North Korea’s socialist system.

“Youth and students across the country signed petitions to join or rejoin the army, pledging to hunt down the confrontation maniacs and criminals and ‘cut off their windpipes,'” KCNA added.

North Korea claims the drone incident represents a direct violation of its territorial integrity. Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, issued a stern warning to Seoul.

“If these provocations happen again, the consequences will be horrible,” she said, adding that there was “clear evidence” linking South Korea’s military to the alleged drone flights, referring to them as “military gangsters.”

Large-scale mobilizations like this are not new for North Korea, which often reports mass enlistments during periods of heightened tension. In 2017, for instance, state media claimed that nearly 3.5 million people volunteered for the military in response to U.S. pressure on Pyongyang.

While South Korea has denied responsibility for the drone flights, its Joint Chiefs of Staff later stated that they could neither confirm nor deny the allegations, leaving the situation unresolved.

There is local speculation that the drones may have been operated by activists, who have previously sent similar materials to the North using balloons.