North Korea claims that 4.7 million of its citizens have volunteered to join or re-enlist in the military since leader Kim Jong Un threatened to “tame” President Trump “with fire” last week, North Korean state media reported.
Millions of young men and 1.22 million women said they wanted sign up to counter the U.S. since Friday, the Rodong Sinmun newspaper reported.
Pyongyang has previously claimed that North Koreans have volunteered to join the military as part of propaganda campaigns to boost solidarity, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap.
China, Pyongyang’s most important ally, on Thursday ordered North Korean companies in the country and joint ventures with Chinese firms to close within 120 days of the passing of the latest round of U.N. sanctions on Sept. 12.
The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously to ban North Korean textile exports and cap fuel supplies following the North’s sixth nuclear test earlier this month.
The North Korean military enlistment claims came after Kim issued a statement Friday warning: “I will surely and definitely tame the mentally deranged U.S. dotard with fire.”
The North Korean leader spoke out after Trump told the U.N. General Assembly in New York that if “forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.”
Malaysia banned its citizens from traveling to North Korea until further notice on Thursday, citing Pyongyang’s recent missile tests. Malaysia is one of the reclusive nation’s few diplomatic partners.
It came amid increasing diplomatic pressure on North Korea, after the country launched two intercontinental ballistic missiles, flew midrange missiles over Japan and conducted its sixth and largest nuclear test.
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More: What’s a bigger economic threat than North Korea? Washington politics
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