Mobilisation or the desire to serve: the truth about the '1.4 million mobilised North Korean citizens'

 The North Koreans were not drafted, but actually expressed a desire to join the army.

Several Ukrainian media outlets have reported that “North Korea has mobilized 1.4 million volunteers.” The headlines may vary, but they all report a fait accompli. 

Unfortunately, both dubious and reputable sources — including Radio Svoboda, Novynarnia, Priamyi Kanal, Fokus, Unian, Militarnyi portal, etc. — have echoed this story. 

Many cite Western media, such as Reuters, but even a quick review of Reuters, which is widely quoted, shows that it reports something different: 

“North Korea reports 1.4 million people wanting to join army amid tensions with South”. 

As you can see, there is no mention of a mobilization in the headline.

That said, the sole source of this information is North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Given this fact, any publication based on it should be approached with caution. Moreover, KCNA is the only outlet reporting these numbers, which immediately raises doubts. 

So, what do they actually write? 

A Google translation of their Korean-language headline states the following: 

“Approximately 1.4 million young students across the country are petitioning to join the People's Army or be released from military service”. 

Again, there is no mention of mobilization. 

Some people will say it’s due translation difficulties. Yes, there is an official russian-language version of the agency where the headline is about something else: 

“On a national scale, more than 1.4 million young people have expressed a desire to join and return to the People’s Army” (hereinafter translated from russian – Behind the News). 

The information was slightly more detailed in the statement:

“According to summary data, in two days, on October 14 and 15, more than 1.4 million top members of the Union of Youth and Young People nationwide expressed a burning desire to join or return to the People’s Army.”

The misreporting in Ukrainian media is blatantly evident, as there is no mention of a mobilization. You will agree that “expressed a desire to volunteer” is far from “being mobilized.” 

Even from a logical standpoint, it seems improbable that “1.4 million people could be mobilized” in such a short time, especially considering that russia, another authoritarian regime, struggled to mobilize 300,000 people. 

In addition, this is not the first time North Korea has made such claims. Last year, its state media reported that 800,000 citizens had voluntarily joined the army to fight the United States. 

Also in 2017, it was reported that nearly 3.5 million workers, party members, and soldiers had volunteered to serve. 

According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, North Korea’s military consists of 1.28 million active soldiers, about 600,000 reservists, and 5.7 million members of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Guard among many other unarmed units.

An interesting fact: 

A footnote in KCNA’s report is the date: “(주체113.10.16.),” which corresponds to “Juche 113.10.16.” This reflects North Korea’s use of the Juche calendar, which begins with the birth of Kim Il Sung. The current year is 113. 

The North Korean regime began counting from the year Kim Il Sung was born, despite the absence of a “year zero,” a mistake similar to the one made by early Christians. Hence, the Juche calendar is one year ahead of the “great leader” Kim Il Sung’s actual age