DPRK slams S. Korean president as “maniac” over European trip

PYONGYANG – The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Friday blasted South Korean President Park Geun-hye for her recent European trip, while vowing not to surrender its nuclear weapons, the official KCNA news agency reported.

A spokesman for the National Defense Commission (NDC) said Park showed her “true colors” as a “despicable sycophant and traitor and maniac keen on confrontation with compatriots” following her trip to France, Britain and Belgium earlier this month.

The spokesman also criticized Park for trying to rally support to force Pyongyang to dismantle its nuclear program, and belittling the country’s policy goal of simultaneously striving for economic growth and a strong military deterrent.

The NDC insisted nuclear weapons are “treasured swords for self-defense to protect the destiny of the country and compatriots,” while likening the demands to dismantle their capabilities to forcing the DPRK to give up its sovereignty and dignity.

On Park’s calls for the DPRK to consider the “right option” and push for “genuine change,” the NDC said Pyongyang does not want any kind of U.S.-style market economy based on showy U.S.-style democracy or logic of jungle law.

The statement argued that it is Park who should consider the right decisions and work toward genuine peace, warning that the DPRK army and people are closely watching the future attitude of Park and her followers.

The latest attack came just a few days after the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea blasted Park’s European trip as a move to heighten anti-DPRK confrontation.

In response, the South Korean Unification Ministry has reportedly urged the DPRK to refrain from such verbal attacks and “maintain a minimum level of courtesy.”