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Tuesday, December 10, 2019, 14:01
DPRK blasts 'old, erratic' Trump as rhetoric heats up
By Bloomberg
Tuesday, December 10, 2019, 14:01 By Bloomberg

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) took its most personal swipe at US President Donald Trump in more than two years, saying the US leader’s recent comments made him sound like a “heedless and erratic old man.”

The statement released by DPRK official Kim Yong-chol on Monday was the latest in a rhetorical tit-for-tat ahead of Pyongyang’s self-imposed year-end deadline for a breakthrough in nuclear talks. On Sunday, Trump played down warnings from the regime, saying in a tweet that DPRK leader Kim Jong-un was “too smart and has far too much to lose” to renew hostility with the US.

After DPRK official Kim Yong-chol's comments on Trump, Ri Su-yong, vice-chairman of the Workers’ Party, issued a statement saying that Kim Jong-un would make his “final judgment and decision” on the situation at the end of the year

“This naturally indicates that Trump is an old man bereft of patience,” said Kim Yong-chol, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency. “As he is such a heedless and erratic old man, the time when we can not but call him a ‘dotard’ again may come.”

READ MORE: DPRK envoy: Trump's 'dangerous' remark might change Kim's views

The personal insults recalled the tense days of 2017, when an escalating series of DPRK missile tests led Trump to mock Kim as “Rocket Man” while threatening to totally destroy the country. The DPRK later dismissed Trump as a “dotard” before both men put their public animosities aside for unprecedented nuclear talks that resulted in three face-to-face meetings, but no disarmament deal.

The Republic of Korea (ROK) sees a possibility of a further DPRK provocation before Christmas, potentially the launch of a satellite on a ballistic-missile class projectile, the JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported, citing an unidentified government source. The US will propose that UN Security Council discussions on the DPRK this week include recent missile launches and the possibility of further escalation, according to a State Department official.

‘Personal Attack’

The latest DPRK statements suggest that Kim Jong-un’s opinion of Trump, 73, “may change,” if the US leader didn’t change course. “If the US has no will and wisdom, it can not but watch with anxiety the reality in which the threat to its security increases with the passage of time,” said Kim Yong-chol.

ALSO READ: US backed out of DPRK human rights meeting

Until April, Kim Yong-chol — who’s also 73 — was vice-chairman of DPRK’s ruling Workers’ Party and met with Trump twice at the White House ahead of summits between the two leaders. Most recently, state media have described him as chairman of the Korea Asia-Pacific Peace Committee.

The latest comments were a warning that Kim Jong-un himself will make a statement soon, according to Cheong Seong-chang, researcher of The Sejong Institute, calling Kim Yong-chol the John Bolton of the DPRK. “These statements don’t publish without Kim’s approval, so it’s no different from Kim borrowing the platforms of his high-level officials to deliver his feelings about Trump’s recent name-calling,” Cheong said.

READ MORE: DPRK ruling party to convene late Dec to discuss 'crucial issues'

The DPRK is reaching the end of what has been by some measures a record year for the regime’s missiles tests, including the launch of two short-range ballistic missiles in late November. Still, the DPRK leader has refrained from tests of nuclear bombs and missiles capable of carrying them to the US for more than two years as he pursued talks with Trump.

But in recent months, he has warned that he would find a “new path” if the US doesn’t ease up on sanctions and other policies that Pyongyang views as hostile. The Trump administration has called for the DPRK to give up its nuclear weapons before it can receive rewards, a move Pyongyang sees as political suicide.

Later Monday, another DPRK official issued a statement saying that Kim Jong-un would make his “final judgment and decision” on the situation at the end of the year. “Trump would be well advised to quit abusive language which may further offend the chairman,” said Ri Su-yong, vice-chairman of the Workers’ Party, according to KCNA.


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