North Korea Brands South Korea’s Lee ‘Hypocrite’ After Washington Denuclearization Speech

North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency issued a commentary on 27 Aug. denouncing South Korean President Lee Jae-myung as a “hypocrite” afflicted with “denuclearization paranoia” after the South Korean leader called for renewed efforts to rid the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons during a trip to the United States. Lee told an audience at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington on 25 Aug. that the U.S.–South Korea alliance would be elevated “to a global level” once denuclearization, peace and coexistence on the peninsula are secured. KCNA dismissed the appeal as a “vain delusion,” asserting that Pyongyang’s status as a nuclear-armed state is an “irreversible choice” shaped by external threats and changes in the global security environment. Since taking office in June, Lee has removed border loudspeakers and proposed reviving past inter-Korean agreements in an attempt to ease tensions, but KCNA said his comments expose him as someone who “acts eager for reconciliation while actually seeking confrontation.” The North Korean outlet made no direct criticism of U.S. President Donald Trump, who indicated during Lee’s visit that he hopes to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year.