SEOUL: North Korea on Monday strongly criticized the remarks made by the U.S. envoy for human rights, which emphasized the importance of information inflow into the country as a strategic element of U.S. policy. Pyongyang views these comments as an attempt by the U.S. to undermine its government.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the condemnation follows the visit of U.S. Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Issues Julie Turner and Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice Beth Van Schaack to South Korea. During their visit, they met with South Korean officials to discuss the human rights conditions in North Korea. The KCNA reported that North Korea accuses the U.S. of trying to collapse its ideological and social system by promoting the inflow of external information and the spread of religion, which Turner highlighted as central to Washington’s North Korea policy.
The state news agency further quoted North Korea’s warning that it would “mercilessly elimin
ate” any threats to its sovereignty and promised to take all necessary measures to defend its rights and interests. This statement underscores the ongoing tension between North Korea and the U.S., particularly concerning human rights issues and the broader geopolitical conflicts.
North Korea has consistently expressed its displeasure with international criticisms of its human rights record, dismissing them as part of a U.S.-led strategy to destabilize its regime.