N. KOREA LASHES OUT AT S. KOREA & U.S.

[Anchor Lead]

North Korea has issued a series of scorching statements against South Korea and the United States. The regime threatened to review “reciprocal actions” since the South Korean authorities again neglected to stop the air-ballooning of anti-regime leaflets. It also criticized the United States for speaking about the human rights issues in North Korea and threatened to make America pay. Let’s find out why North Korea poured out a series of hostile statements ahead of the release of Washington's North Korea policy and the Seoul-Washington summit.

[Pkg]

North Korea issued three statements one after another immediately following the Biden administration’s announcement that it had finalized the review of its North Korea policy. The statement revealed the regime’s strong displeasure toward Washington. President Biden calling North Korea a ‘serious threat’ and emphasizing ‘deterrence’ together with diplomatic engagement were denounced as an ‘old-fashioned hostile policy.’ Also, the Biden administration’s repeated remarks about human rights violations in North Korea were called an ‘insult to the supreme dignity,’ meaning Kim Jong-un. All three statements referred to taking ‘reciprocal measures,’ indicating that the North would be willing to take provocative measures. Pyongyang appears to have toned down its rhetoric as the statements were issued by the director general of the department of U.S. affairs at the North’s foreign ministry and the ministry spokesperson.

[Soundbite] Hong Min(Researcher, Korea Institute for Nat’l Unification) : "Rather than refusing to talk with the U.S., North Korea seems to be trying to take control of the matter early on and have issued a message warning the U.S. to stop embarrassing North Korea to resume talks."

Meanwhile, The regime upped its pressure on South Korea for ignoring the air-ballooning of anti-North Korean leaflets.

[Soundbite] (Korean Central TV(May 2)) : "Whatever decision we make or actions we take, South Korea will be completely responsible for the outcome."

There are concerns that North Korea might actually take action given that Kim Yo-jung, Kim Jong-un’s powerful sister, had stepped into the limelight when the inter-Korean liaison office was blown up last year, and the statements were released on state media.

[Soundbite] Shin Bum-cheol(Korea Research Institute for National Security) : "North Korea would not immediately engage in strategic provocation against the U.S., but they may go ahead with local provocations such as the removal of Mt. Kumgang tourism facilities to apply pressure ahead of the S. Korea-U.S. summit."

South Korea simply said that it is against raising tension on the Korean Peninsula. Meanwhile, Seoul's Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong left for the UK to attend the G7 and Korea-UK foreign ministers’ meeting slated for Tuesday.