North Korea Strongly Criticizes the United States in Rodong Sinmun Articles
Although U.S. President Donald Trump has shown a willingness to resume dialogue with North Korea, Pyongyang continues to remain unresponsive.
On the 14th (local time), an anti-Trump protest was held at Lafayette Square near the White House ahead of the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary parade held in Washington DC. A protester is holding a placard featuring a cartoon with the faces of President Trump and North Korean Chairman Kim Jongun 'composited' together.
On the 27th (local time), President Trump stated publicly, "If there is a conflict with North Korea, we will resolve it." However, North Korea, through its state-run media, continued to refer to the United States as a "hostile force" and a "brazen robber," highlighting the stark difference in tone between the two sides.
On the 29th, the Workers' Party official newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, published an article titled "We Proudly Unfold the Sacred 80-Year Revolutionary Leadership History of the Great Workers' Party of Korea," stating, "For more than ten years, hostile forces have engaged in unprecedentedly harsh sanctions and blockade maneuvers in an attempt to force us to abandon the path of self-reliance." The article further emphasized, "Even when hostile forces frantically pursued schemes of aggressive war and tried to tighten the noose of sanctions around our lifeline, and even when they showed signs of 'easing' out of fear of our Republic's military strength, we have never once lowered the banner of self-reliance, not even for a moment."
The article also stated, "Last year, North Korea exceeded its targets, achieving 101% in electricity, 110% in coal, and 107% in grain production. Twelve key high ground objectives in the development of the people's economy were successfully seized. This serves as a microcosm that clearly demonstrates the solid growth trend of the national economy as a whole."
On the same day, Rodong Sinmun also intensified its criticism of the United States in another article titled "Establishing a Fair International Order Is an Urgent Requirement for Ensuring Peace."
The newspaper pointed out, "Currently, armed conflicts are taking place in various regions including Europe and the Middle East, and the world is falling into instability and chaos. The root cause of this lies in the brazen violations of sovereignty against other countries by the United States and Western nations." It further argued, "In today's world, where imperialists are running rampant trying to dominate the globe by force, believing that one can protect their sovereignty and dignity through appeals or begging is an illusion. Only by accumulating strong power to defend the nation's sovereignty and security from the imperialists' high-handedness and arbitrariness can a fair and just international order be established."
Since returning empty-handed from the 2019 Hanoi U.S.-North Korea summit, Chairman Kim Jongun has abandoned expectations for immediate results in negotiations with the United States over denuclearization and has shifted to a long-term strategy.
Since then, North Korea has maintained a hardline stance toward both the United States and South Korea, while at the same time moving to strengthen ties with Russia across military, diplomatic, and other areas. Observers note that for any significant change in Chairman Kim's approach?which currently runs counter to the expectations of the international community?there would need to be an internal policy realignment at the 9th Party Congress, which is expected to take place early next year.
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