North Korea calls reunification ‘daydream of a psychopath’
South Korean president should ‘keep her disgusting mouth closed’ in order to improve relations, says Pyongyang
NORTH KOREA has denounced the idea of peaceful reunification with the South as the “daydream of a psychopath”.
The typically forthright statement was Pyongyang’s first reaction to a speech made last month by South Korean President Park Geun-Hye in which she called on the North to increase cultural and economic exchanges with Seoul and step up reunions of families divided by the separation of Korea.
Speaking in Dresden in the former East Germany, Park said: "Germany's unity is for us an example and model for a peaceful reunification.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
North Korea’s powerful National Defence Commission took exception to the comparison, however. Today, an NDC spokesman observed that German reunification came about with the West absorbing the East and accused Park of begging foreign countries to help South Korea absorb the North, AFP reports.
"This is merely a daydream of psychopath," he said, adding that Park’s speech was "nonsense" and full of "hypocrisy and deception".
"The fact that in that particular place, Park Geun-Hye lashed her tongue about reunification gave away her sinister mind.
"They should bear in mind that the tongue-lashing of Park Geun-Hye is the root cause of deteriorating North-South relations and beclouding the prospect of the nation.
"It is the unanimous view of the public that the North-South relations will be smoother than now only if Park keeps her disgusting mouth closed," the spokesman said.
The uncompromising language follows a month of tension on the Korean peninsula, with the North warning that it might carry out new nuclear tests and both countries exchanging artillery fire.
Despite this, analysts expect Pyongyang to return to dialogue over its nuclear capability later this month when joint military exercises between the South and the United States finish.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Decrepit train stations across the US are being revitalized
Under the Radar These buildings function as hotels, restaurants and even museums
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: January 30, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sudoku medium: January 30, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysis
In Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical
By The Week Staff Published
-
Ukraine captures first North Korean soldiers
Speed Read Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted videos of the men captured in Russia's Kursk region
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Is South Korea's young democracy under threat?
Today's Big Question Attempts to arrest the impeached President Yoon have shown the 'erosion of the rule of law'
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Impeached South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol resists arrest
Speed Read Hundreds of Yoon's supporters block officials from executing warrant over martial law decree
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK Published
-
Romania's election rerun
The Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Russia's shadow war in Europe
Talking Point Steering clear of open conflict, Moscow is slowly ratcheting up the pressure on Nato rivals to see what it can get away with.
By The Week UK Published
-
South Korea roiled by short-lived martial law
Speed Read President Yoon Suk Yeol's imposition of martial law was a 'clear violation of the constitution,' said the opposition parties who have moved to impeach him
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published