North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects a military factory in this undated picture released by the Korean Central News Agency on Friday, May 17. North Korea launched several short-range guided missiles into the sea off the Korean Peninsula's east coast May 18, South Korea's semi-official news agency Yonhap cited the South Korean Defense Ministry as saying.
(CNN) -- The 80-year-old North Korean war vet says he's been holding onto a bullet he didn't get to fire when his country declared a truce with its neighbor 60 years ago.
Now -- if North Korean state media is to be believed -- the man is itching to do so.
"I am still keeping a bullet that I failed to fire at a trench in the 1950s because the U.S. imperialists and their stooges signed an armistice agreement," the man is quoted as saying in Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling Workers' Party.
"Send me to the trench. Give me a rifle. I want to rain bullets on the enemy to my heart's content."
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Like him, the newspaper said, North Koreans across the country are begging to join the army after the United Nations slapped the country with new sanctions.
It's the latest hyperbole coming out of the repressed country after the North reneged Monday on a 60-year-old armistice that had maintained an uneasy peace with South Korea since the Korean War in the 1950s.
"All people who can take rifle are petitioning to be allowed to join or rejoin the People's Army in all provinces and towns," the newspaper said.
For its part, South Korea said it's keeping a close watch and making sure its combined forces with the United States are prepared for moves by the North.
"There are possibilities that these activities could lead to provocations," defense ministry spokesman Kim Min-suk said.
If they do, he added, "We will respond in a more resolute and destructively manner."
The ever-ratcheting war of words between the two sides reached new heights after Pyongyang scrapped the agreement and then followed it up by ignoring Seoul's calls to a military hotline the two sides set up in 2004 to ease tensions.
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'An act of war'
North Korea said its decision was a direct response to the U.N. Security Council, which passed tougher sanctions against the country after it carried out a nuclear test last month.
The sanctions, North Korea's ruling Workers' Party said, are "a declaration of war and an act of war."
The United States followed the U.N.'s sanctions with its own Monday after North Korea scrapped the armistice agreement.
The new U.S. sanctions target North Korea's Foreign Trade Bank for its role in supporting the country's weapons of mass destruction program, the Treasury Department said Monday.
The sanctions effectively cut the North's primary foreign exchange bank off from the U.S. financial system.
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'Break the waists of ... enemies'
Pyongyang is also furious at joint military drills taking place between the South and the United States. The annual training exercises are scheduled to last two months.
Leader Kim Jong Un lambasted the drills, taking place near the Korean peninsula.
"As the saying goes ... a guy who is fond of playing with fire is bound to perish in flames" Kim told soldiers, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency. "All the enemies quite often playing with fire in the sensitive hotspot should be thrown into a cauldron once I issue an order."
"Once an order is issued," Kim told the troops, "you should break the waists of the crazy enemies, totally cut their windpipes and thus clearly show them what a real war is like."
In Washington, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters that Pyongyang's "bellicose rhetoric" has raised concerns -- but won't help the North's situation.
"The DPRK will achieve nothing by threats or provocations, which will only further isolate North Korea and undermine international efforts to ensure peace and stability in northeast Asia," he said.
What's in a threat? A look at North Korea's escalating rhetoric and actions
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Kim Jong Un visits the Ministry of People's Security on Wednesday, May 1, as part of the country's May Day celebrations.
A North Korea soldier gestures to stop photographers from taking photos from a Chinese tour boat as other soldiers look on along the North Korean bank of the Yalu River near the town of Sinuiji across the Chinese city of Dandong in Liaoning province, China, on Saturday, April 6.
North Korean soldiers gather by the docks in Sinuiju near the Chinese border on Thursday, April 4.
North Korean soldiers patrol along the Yalu River in Sinuiju across the border from the Chinese city of Dandong on April 4.
Kim Jong Un is briefed by his generals in this undated photo. On the wall is a map titled "Plan for the strategic forces to target mainland U.S."
Kim Jong Un works during a briefing in this undated photo.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects drills by the Korean People's Army navy at an undisclosed location on North Korea's east coast on March 25 in a photo from the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
Kim makes his way to an observation post with North Korean soldiers on March 25.
Kim uses a pair of binoculars to look south from the Jangjae Islet Defense Detachment near South Korea's Taeyonphyong Island on March 7.
Kim is greeted by the family of a soldier as he inspects Jangjae Islet Defense Detachment near South Korea's Taeyonphyong Island in South Hwanghae province on Thursday, March 7, in a photo from the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
Kim is surrounded by soldiers during a visit to the Mu Islet Hero Defense Detachment near South Korea's Taeyonphyong Island on March 7. North Korea has escalated its bellicose rhetoric, threatening nuclear strikes, just before the U.N. Security Council passed tougher sanctions against the secretive nation on March 7.
Kim arrives at Jangjae Islet by boat to meet with soldiers of the Jangjae Islet Defense Detachment near Taeyonphyong Island in South Hwanghae province on March 7.
Soldiers in the North Korean army train at an undisclosed location on March 6.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, poses with chiefs of branch social security stations in this undated picture released by North Korea's official news agency on November 27.
Kim celebrates with staff from the satellite control center in Pyongyang, North Korea, during the launch of a rocket carrying a satellite, in a photo released by the official North Korean news agency on December 12.
A crowd watches as statues of the nation's founder, Kim Il Sung, and his son Kim Jong Il are unveiled during a ceremony in Pyongyang on April 13, 2012. Photos from North Korea are rare, but the country was on full display in April 2012 as it celebrated the 100th birthday of Kim Il Sung.
A North Korean soldier stands guard in front of an UNHA III rocket at the Tangachai-ri Space Center on April 8, 2012.
In April 2012, Pyongyang launched a long-range rocket, which broke apart and fell into the sea. The UNHA III rocket is pictured on its launch pad in Tang Chung Ri, North Korea.
A closer look at the UNHA III rocket on its launch pad in Tang Chung Ri, North Korea.
A military vehicle participates in a parade in Pyongyang on April 15, 2012.
North Koreans wave flags in front of portraits of Kim Il Sung, left, and his son Kim Jong Il during celebrations to mark the 100th birth anniversary of Kim Il Sung in Pyongyang on April 16, 2012.
North Korean soldiers relax at the end of an official ceremony attended by leader Kim Jong Un at a stadium in Pyongyang on April 14, 2012.
Kim Jong Un applauds as he watches a military parade in Pyongyang on April 15, 2012.
A North Korean soldier stands on a balcony in Pyongyang on April 16, 2012.
North Korean soldiers march during a military parade in Pyongyang on April 15, 2012.
Soldiers board a bus outside a theater in Pyongyang on April 16, 2012.
North Korean performers sit below a screen showing images of leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang on April 16, 2012.
North Korean soldiers salute during a military parade in Pyongyang on April 15, 2012.
Kim Jong Un visits the Rungna People's Pleasure Ground, which is under construction in Pyongyang, in a photo released on July 3, 2012, by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency.
North Korean soldiers listen to a speech during an official ceremony attended by leader Kim Jong Un at a stadium in Pyongyang on April 14, 2012.
Members of a North Korean military band gather following an official ceremony at the Kim Il Sung stadium in Pyongyang on April 14, 2012.
North Korean military personnel watch a performance in Pyongyang on April 16, 2012.
A North Korean controller is seen along the railway line between Pyongyang and North Pyongan province on April 8, 2012.
A North Korean military honor guard stands at attention at Pyongyang's airport during a diplomatic visit on May 2, 2001.
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