Nearly five million young people have volunteered to join or re-enlist in the North Korean military to fight Washington, KCNA state news agency reports. It says the volunteers want to send “millions” of nuclear bombs to wipe out the US.

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Earlier, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed to “tame” US President Donald Trump “with fire.”

The volunteers have gathered and said: “Let's send 5 million nuclear bombs to blow the evil empire [apparently the US] from Earth without a trace!” KCNA reported.

Some 1.22 million women also reportedly promised to volunteer. However, it’s not yet clear if this number is already included in the 4.7 million figure.

The news comes as the war of words between North Korea and the US continues to escalate, with both states increasingly exchanging barbs.

Trump has repeatedly vowed a military response to Pyongyang over its missile tests, even threatening to deploy the US nuclear arsenal against North Korea.

The US has been repeatedly flexing its military muscles with its long-standing ally South Korea, deploying strategic bombers and fighter jets.

North Korea is also not pulling its punches, releasing a doctored video worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster, in which a missile "destroys" US B-1B and F-35 jets, while a submarine targets America’s state-of-the-art carrier USS ‘Carl Vinson.’

In one of his latest statements on the crisis, Trump said that Washington was prepared to strike North Korea if necessary with “devastating” consequences for the country.

“We are totally prepared for the second option, not a preferred option. But if we take that option, it will be devastating for North Korea. That is called the military option. If we have to take it, we will,” Trump said on Wednesday.

In the meantime, Russia and China are trying to ease tensions, calling for dialogue between both states.

Moscow and Beijing have long been pushing for a ‘double-freeze’ plan, in which Pyongyang suspends its nuclear and ballistic missile tests in exchange for a halt in joint US-South Korea military exercises.

However, the US has bluntly rejected the call.