North Korea: "Middle East Will Become America's Grave" Reports on US-Iran Situation

First Report by Official Media... Indirect Format via Third Country
Foreign Propaganda Media Criticizes US Through 'Expert Forecast'

A Pyongyang rally to implement the tasks presented at the 5th Plenary Meeting of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea was held on the 5th at Kim Il-sung Square, reported by Korean Central TV. The photo is a screenshot from Korean Central TV, showing the scene of the rally.

On the 3rd (local time), the United States killed Qasem Soleimani, a key figure in Iran's military and commander of the Revolutionary Guards Quds Force. North Korea's state media issued its first response on the 6th. While not directly condemning or criticizing the U.S., it indirectly expressed its stance through the voice of a third country. North Korea is also closely monitoring the situation amid rising tensions.

Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on the same day in an article titled "China and Russia Condemn U.S. Missile Strike Violating UN Charter," stating, "In the early hours of the 3rd, the United States launched a missile strike on an airfield in Baghdad, Iraq."

The agency conveyed news of a phone call on the 4th between Wang Yi, China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister, and Sergey Lavrov, Russia's Foreign Minister, noting that they "condemned the U.S. missile strike."

KCNA further emphasized, "China and Russia oppose the abuse of force in international relations and cannot accept reckless military actions," adding, "They expressed concern over the serious deterioration of regional stability caused by the U.S.'s illegal actions."

Chosun Central TV reported that a Pyongyang city rally was held on the 5th at Kim Il Sung Square to carry out the tasks presented at the 5th Plenary Meeting of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. The photo is a capture from Chosun Central TV, showing participants marching while holding placards.

North Korea's external propaganda outlets reported relatively promptly on the situation in the Middle East.

On the same day, Mea-ri published an article titled "U.S. 82nd Airborne Division Considering Deployment to Middle East," reporting, "The United States plans to deploy approximately 3,000 additional troops to the Middle East."

This refers to U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper's statement on the 31st of last month that 750 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division's Immediate Response Force (IRF) were rapidly dispatched in response to the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, and that additional deployments are being prepared separately.

Earlier, on the 5th, Mea-ri published an article titled "Military Experts Predict Middle East Will Become U.S.'s Graveyard," stating, "Recently, global military experts have analyzed and assessed that the United States is floundering in the quagmire of war in the Middle East," and "Even pro-U.S. countries are passively participating in troop deployment requests, citing internal political and economic crises, plunging the U.S. into despair."

It added, "For a long time, the United States has conducted military operations using 'sword attack tactics,' where special forces infiltrate key points to eliminate Taliban forces," but "the Taliban are resisting from familiar mountainous strongholds, and local residents strongly support the Taliban, causing U.S. military operations to fail repeatedly."