North Korea is warning South Korean President Park
Geun-hye not to try to divert attention from a political scandal
that has rocked her administration by trying to stir up trouble
with the North.
A senior North Korean Foreign Ministry official on Friday
accused South Korea of using the pretense of a provocation from the
North to distract attention from its own internal scandals in the
past. He claimed Seoul is already stepping up such efforts with
increased military exercises with the United States.
In an interview with Associated Press Television News, Choe Jin,
deputy director general of the Institute of Disarmament and Peace,
a Foreign Ministry think tank, warned North Korea is "fully
determined to take massive revenge" if Park "dares to provoke us in
an attempt at survival."
Choe said the scandal has become so serious that the South
Korean president must either resign or face impeachment.
"In the past, whenever the South Korean regime faces an internal
crisis, they normally say they are under threat and stage some
provocation," he said. "Park Geun-hye should not complain about
threats or try any provocation against us as a way of getting out
of her ruling crisis."
In an extraordinary apology to her nation, Park on Friday said
she was solely to blame for a "heartbreaking" scandal over whether
she allowed a confidante to manipulate her and profit massively
from the relationship. Park, whose support has plummeted, said she
would accept a direct investigation into her actions.
North Korea's media have been quick to capitalize on the scandal
as a propaganda bonanza.
Along with its own vitriolic commentaries, North Korea has also
recently presented its own heavily edited versions of coverage in
the South Korean media — which is normally blocked from the North
Korean public — to show how deep the discord in the South has
grown.
North Korea has reasons to want Park out of the picture.
She has taken an increasingly tough stance toward North Korea
since its first nuclear test this year and another in September
along with a series of increasingly frequent missile tests. The
U.S., South Korea and Japan have made clear they are trying to
achieve a new U.N. resolution calling for stronger sanctions
against the North.