Rare pictures show images of North Korea's future soldiers as children as young as 11 are taught combat training in a military academy.
New recruits with shaved heads are seen preparing for war in the grounds of Mangyongdae Revolutionary School in Pyongyang as they practise their taekwondo.
One pupil named Jo Chung Hyok said: 'Because of the present situation, I am trying to study harder.
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11-year-old pupils at the Mangyongdae Revolutionary School in Pyongyang, North Korea wear military uniforms and are prepared for war
Young children with shaven heads learn taekwondo at the Mangyongdae Revolutionary School where former leader Kim Jong Il once studied
'I really think that's how I can get my revenge on the American imperialists: by getting top marks in class.
‘It's my revolutionary duty,’ Jo said. ‘I'm working extra hard to get top marks in military subjects like tactics and shooting.’
The government-run school, where former leader Kim Jong Il was educated during the Korean War, indoctrinates students with criticisms of America and South Korea.
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Pupils chant in English: ‘The respected Marshal Kim Jong Un is our father.'
Pupils dressed in military uniform are taught to march in perfect unison and are given rifles to hold as they prepare to become the ‘core’ of the Korean People's Army, according to biology teacher Ri Kyong Hui.
Students are also taught more ordinary academic subjects including biology, history and languages - but they have no access to the internet to assist their studies.
Academy administrator Lieutenant Colonel Kim Hak Bin said: ‘At the moment, the situation on the Korean Peninsula is tense, and America is being bad to us.
Inside North Korea's elite military school for boys
Pupils dressed in military uniforms chant: ¿The respected Marshal Kim Jong Un is our father.' at the school in Pyongyang
Pupils learn to march in unison at Mangyongdae Revolutionary School which is run by the military
‘But you can see that the students here look just as bright as usual, and life and classes are carrying on the same as before.
‘Our students are ready to go to the front lines whenever a war breaks out, and they are now studying harder than usual,’ he added.
The school, located near the birthplace of North Korea's first leader, Kim Il Sung, was created in 1947 to house, feed and educate the sons and daughters of soldiers killed while fighting the Japanese who occupied Korea from 1910 to 1945.
Today, the girls are housed in a separate academy named after Kim Il Sung's mother, the Kang Pan Sok Revolutionary School in the western port city of Nampho.