{{North Korea’s newest batch of future soldiers \u2014 scrawny 11-year-olds with freshly shaved heads \u2014 punch the air as they practice taekwondo on the grounds of the Mangyongdae Revolutionary School. }} <\/p>\n
Students and teachers here say they’re studying harder these days to prepare for a fight.<\/p>\n
Across the country, banners, slogans and artwork have been redrawn to focus on fighting “the imperialist Americans and their traitorous followers,” a reference to South Korea. <\/p>\n
Slogans on improving North Korea’s economy had dominated since 2009, but anti-American propaganda has re-emerged over the past year, particularly following U.S.-led censure of North Korea’s decision to launch a long-range rocket and test a nuclear bomb.<\/p>\n
At the military school, where students work on desktop computers without Internet access and practice their English with chants such as “The respected Marshal Kim Jong Un is our father,” classwork is infused with conflict.<\/p>\n
“Because of the present situation, I am trying to study harder, because I really think that’s how I can get my revenge on the American imperialists: by getting top marks in class,” one student, Jo Chung Hyok, told Press.<\/p>\n
“It’s my revolutionary duty,” Jo said. “I’m working extra hard to get top marks in military subjects like tactics and shooting.”<\/p>\n
The uptick in anti-American sentiment comes on the heels of international condemnation and U.N. sanctions for North Korea’s long-range rocket launch in December and its underground nuclear test in February, which Pyongyang accuses Washington and Seoul of instigating. Joint U.S.-South Korean military drills south of the border also have incensed Pyongyang.<\/p>\n
The anti-American campaign also comes as North Korea gears up to mark the 60th anniversary in July of the close of the Korean War. The three-year conflict pitting North Korea and China against U.S.-led U.N. troops ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. <\/p>\n
The continued division of the Korean Peninsula, and the presence of 28,500 American troops in South Korea, has rankled North Korea’s leadership.<\/p>\n
For weeks, North Korea has threatened to attack the U.S. and South Korea for holding joint military drills and for supporting U.N. sanctions. <\/p>\n
Washington and Seoul say they’ve seen no evidence that Pyongyang is actually preparing for a major conflict, though South Korean defense officials say the North appears prepared to test-fire a medium-range missile capable of reaching the American territory of Guam.<\/p>\n
Both sides have said that in order for dialogue, the other side needs to act.<\/p>\n
The U.S. says Pyongyang must bring down tensions and honor previous disarmament agreements before talks can begin.<\/p>\n
AP<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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