President Lee Jae-myung is attending the naming ceremony for the 'State of Maine' at the Hanwha Philadelphia Shipyard in Philadelphia, USA on August 26 (local time). 2025.8.27 hihong@yna.co.kr

(Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Lee Eun-jung = North Korea has criticized President Lee Jae-myung's remarks during his visit to the United States, in which he stated that South Korea and the U.S. would cooperate for peace and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula, calling them "a futile delusion of still pinning vain hopes."

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) published a commentary on the 27th titled "'The Hypocrite Suffering from 'Denuclearization Delusion' Revealed'," stating, "Our stance of never giving up our nuclear weapons, which are our national prestige and identity, is absolutely immutable."

The agency derided South Korea as "a politically impoverished nation, unique in the world, that has completely dedicated all its national sovereignty to the United States," and threatened, "Lee Jae-myung must understand that he will not be beneficial to anyone, not just South Korea, if he continues to suffer from 'denuclearization delusion' as if it were a hereditary disease."

It further asserted, "Our status as a nuclear-armed state is an inevitable choice that accurately reflects external hostile threats and changes in the global security dynamics," adding, "For our nuclear policy to change, the world must change, and the political and military environment of the Korean Peninsula must change."

The agency responded by stating that President Lee's description of North Korea as a "poor but fierce neighbor" was "a grave insult to us" and "a significant occasion that shows why we call South Korea an enemy and why they are a filthy people."

It also referenced Article 3 of the South Korean constitution, which states, "The territory of the Republic of Korea shall be the Korean Peninsula and its adjacent islands," and pointed out, "Although governments in South Korea have changed more than ten times, the anti-North Korea stance has not changed one bit."

It continued, "Originally, South Korea is a thorough enemy nation that has established a policy of confrontation against us as its national policy," and asserted, "The Lee Jae-myung administration is no different."

It further criticized President Lee, stating that in the early days of his administration, he "played games as if he had the intention to restore 'inter-Korean relations'," and "within just 10 days of making plausible remarks like 'a pebble' after 80-odd days in office, he could not hide his true intentions and fully revealed his identity as a confrontation maniac."

President Lee Jae-myung, who is visiting the United States, stated in a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a think tank in Washington D.C., on August 25 (local time), "Obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) must be thoroughly observed on the Korean Peninsula. South Korea will also thoroughly adhere to this system and fulfill its denuclearization commitments."

In his speech, President Lee described North Korea as a "poor but fierce neighbor" and emphasized, "Suppression alone will not solve the problem. We need means to manage it appropriately," adding, "We will also pursue efforts for dialogue with North Korea."

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