Even North Korea's Buddhists are spoiling for a fight

[Guest Kurt]

Religious organisation joins up with workers and students to prepare for "sacred war" against US and South Korea

The organisation has been roused to fury by ongoing US-South Korea military exercises

North Korea's Buddhists have thrown off their religion's traditional commitment to peace and harmony to express their commitment to the destruction of what they described as "US imperialists" and the "traitors" of the South Korean government.

The religious group's declaration echoes similar threat by trades unions, workers and students in recent days  Photo: Alamy"The villains' unprecedentedly hideous provocations are touching off the bitter resentment and anger of all Buddhists in the DPRK," the central committee of the Buddhist Federation of Korea said in a statement.

The organisation has been roused to fury by ongoing US-South Korea military exercises, including manoeuvres simulating an attack on the headquarters of Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader.

"Neither nuclear bombs nor 'special operations' of the US can ever destroy our earthly paradise and fortress of single-minded unity", the federation said, according to the state-run Korea Central News Agency.

"All the Buddhists in the DPRK will courageously turn out in the sacred all-people battle to throw the aggressors and provocateurs into a hell-like cauldron", the federation said.

It added that the coming conflict would be similar to the "sacred war" that Buddhist priest Sosan fought to "wipe out the enemies".

The US has responded to the North's recent threats by suggesting that Pyongyang might like to turn down the rhetoric "to de-escalate the situation on the Korean Peninsula", while Park Geun-hye, the South Korean president, has called on the military to be prepared for the verbal threats to devolve into physical provocations.

North Korea fired a short-range missile on Tuesday afternoon, with state media claiming Kim Jong-un had overseen the test, expressing "great satisfaction over the perfect accuracy of the rockets".

The religious group's declaration echoes similar threat by trades unions, workers and students in recent days.

Union members have announced they are ready to "join the powerful revolutionary ... army in the battle to blow up the den of the Park regime".

State media have also reported that 30,000 secondary school students are demanding to be allowed to join the military "with a strong will to annihilate the heinous provokers".

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