"Downgrading Inter-Korean Relations to a Subordinate of International Relations"
Recent US Visit and Remarks Criticized as "Eoljubaen Nabal"
Seo Hoon, Director of the National Security Office at the Blue House, is answering questions from correspondents after meeting with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the U.S. Department of State building in Washington, D.C. on the 15th (local time). North Korea fiercely criticized Seo Hoon, the Director of the National Security Office at the Blue House, on the 29th, referring to his recent trip to the United States.
The North Korean state media, Korean Central News Agency, claimed in an article titled "One Must Remember That There Is No Way Forward If One Wanders Without Knowing East, West, South, or North" that "the person called the Director of the National Security Office at the South Korean Blue House secretly traveled to the United States and behaved disgracefully."
In particular, they disparaged Seo’s remarks at a press conference, where he said, "Inter-Korean relations cannot be simply regarded as relations between the North and South," and "Inter-Korean relations are issues that must be resolved through consultation and agreement with surrounding countries such as the United States," calling them "nonsense."
They further stated that these were "absurd remarks that degraded the sacred inter-Korean relations to a subordinate matter of international relations," and "an open denial and betrayal by the South Korean authorities of the historic June 15 Joint Declaration, October 4 Declaration, Panmunjom Declaration, and September Pyongyang Joint Declaration, which clearly state national independence as the fundamental core."
The agency emphasized, "Inter-Korean relations are, as the name suggests, an internal issue to be resolved between the North and South Korean people," and "It is not a matter to be dependent on foreign forces or to discuss and seek help from any other country."
Regarding Seo, the agency questioned, "Is it possible that a person who boasts of having been involved in inter-Korean relations for decades does not know that the fundamental key to solving all problems lies in the Korean people coming together and resolving them independently?"
They continued, "The reason inter-Korean relations are currently at a deadlock is because the South Korean authorities have tied their own feet to the United States and handed over the reins of their fate, asking to be controlled," adding, "Yet, they still have not come to their senses and are asking the very person who ruined inter-Korean relations for help, which is like asking a thief who has ruined the family fortune to fix it."
The agency warned, "When the sense of independence is paralyzed, one inevitably becomes a fool who wanders aimlessly without knowing the time or direction," and "It is obvious what fate awaits those who stake their lives on pro-American subservience and serve the nation’s destiny as a plaything of foreign powers."
It is considered unusual that North Korea directly targeted Seo Hoon with such a direct attack, given that it has recently restrained its criticism of the South. However, since the critical message was only released through the Korean Central News Agency, which North Korean citizens cannot access, it appears that the level of criticism was moderated.
Seo visited the United States from the 13th to the 16th, meeting with his counterparts Robert O'Brien, the White House National Security Advisor, and Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State, to discuss issues including the North Korean nuclear problem.
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