North Korea: "Japan is a country that does not help at all with peace and security on the Korean Peninsula"

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is holding his first press conference since taking office at 9 p.m. on the 16th at the official residence.

Yoshihide Suga, the new Prime Minister of Japan, has stated that resolving the issue of Japanese abductees by North Korea will be the most important task for his new cabinet. In response, North Korea criticized Japan on the 18th, saying, "Truly, Japan is a country that does not help peace and security on the Korean Peninsula at all."

North Korea's external propaganda outlet, Meori, in an article titled "A Country That Does Not Help at All," claimed, "A neighbor who causes harm to others' homes, shamelessly does not apologize even once, and provocatively picks quarrels with the next-door neighbor at inappropriate times to create discord is better off not existing." There was no separate mention of Prime Minister Suga's inauguration.

Meori stated, "Japan, which profited handsomely from the Korean War of June 25, still disapproves of peace on the Korean Peninsula today and secretly hopes that the South and the North will only fight," adding, "Whenever there is a sign of improvement in inter-Korean relations, Japan brings up the 'North Korean threat theory' and goes around causing trouble for peace on the Korean Peninsula."

It continued, "Usually, those with malicious intentions lower their tails in front of strong opponents but become even more arrogant and tyrannical when they see a weak opponent," and said, "The more Japan acts meanly toward us, the more we must respond firmly to Japan."

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Suga said at his first press conference after his inauguration at the Prime Minister's Official Residence on the 16th, "Our goal is to conclude postwar diplomacy, and especially to devote all efforts to resolving the abduction issue (by North Korea)." He also emphasized that his close relationship with his predecessor, Prime Minister Abe, was triggered by the abduction issue, stating, "The abduction issue is the most important task of the administration, just like the Abe administration."