North Korea’s state media published a column Monday listing a variety of foreign members of communist, pro-North Korea organizations visiting in another attempt to dispel the image of the “hermit kingdom” as diplomatically isolated.
The story appeared on the site of state newspaper Rodong Sinmun just as South Korean media outlets reported that high-ranking diplomats in Russia, China, and other key nations were traveling back to Pyongyang for a strategic meeting.
Rodong Sinmun reported that the group was visiting North Korea to celebrate the “Fifth International Festival in Praise of the Great Persons of Mt Paektu,” a celebration to honor North Korean founder Kim Il-sung, his dictator son Kim Jong-il, and his dictator grandson Kim Jong-un. The state newspaper did not specify what activities would transpire during the event and a joint statement by multiple chapters of the “International Preparatory Committee for Gathering 2017—Praise to the Great Persons of Mt. Paektu” states only that the event will feature “an international grand gathering in praise of peerlessly great persons in Mt. Paektu region and Pyongyang in August this year.”
Rodong highlights visitors from Russia, Pakistan, India, the UK, Ecuador, Brazil, and Iceland, among others. These individuals are not representing their governments, but appear to be aficionados of the repressively communist dictatorship independently forming fan clubs across the globe. Despite this, Rodong describes them as distinguished “foreign guests” and “chairmen” of their respective groups.
The article follows the publication of reports following high-ranking official Kim Yong-nam, who traveled to Tehran last week for the inauguration of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. At the event, Rodong Sinmun emphasized that Kim met with representatives from allied nations like Iran, Cuba, and Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe.
Following the latest round of sanctions against Pyongyang—which the UN Security Council passed unanimously, with even China, North Korea’s most important ally, onboard—the North Korean regime appears focused on creating the illusion that it has a network of strong alliances around the world and is thus not almost completely dependent on the Chinese economy.
The Rodong report follows confirmation through the South Korean outlet Yonhap, however, that North Korea has withdrawn its ambassadors from Russia, China, and the United Nations for a “joint meeting.”
“North Korea seems to be hosting what appears to be a meeting of foreign diplomatic missions’ chiefs after calling its ambassadors to major countries back to Pyongyang,” an unnamed official told Yonhap.
“The top envoys’ meeting may deal with the difficult international circumstance the country is currently handling after its two recent tests of what it called intercontinental ballistic missiles that could reach the mainland United States,” Yonhap speculated.
South Korea’s Joongang Daily also cites Japan’s Kyodo News as confirming those ambassadors have returned to their home countries. All three, according to Kyodo, “were on the same plane, along with Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho,” and may be returning home for a celebration of five years of Kim Jong-un’s rule since his father’s death. North Korea holds a semi-annual meeting of its ambassadors, however, which experts believe could occur soon, particularly as China becomes more compliant with sanctions.
North Korea’s communist government has become increasingly belligerent since its latest test of what experts believe to be an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) this year. Following the unanimous Security Council vote for sanctions, North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) published a story vowing that “the U.S.’s villainous illegal actions against our country and people will be reciprocated by thousands fold.” It has since repeated threatened a nuclear attack on the Pacific U.S. territory of Guam.
In response, President Donald Trump has threatened North Korea with “fire and fury” and, most recently, stated on Twitter that “military solutions are now fully in place, locked and loaded, should North Korea act unwisely.”
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