North Korea has stepped up army recruitment and called on former soldiers to re-enlist to bolster its ground forces ahead of the traditional joint military exercisebetween South Korea and the US, according to sources inside the country. Washington and Seoul are scheduled to begin their biggest ever military manoeuvres across the border on 7 March, involving 15,000 US troops – double the number of previous years. A source from South Pyongan province said a petition opposing the joint South Korean-US exercises has been circulating across the country, with mass meetings organised in the provinces and the capital. Read more
