North Korea Warns Us of ‘Christmas Gift’ as Its Deadline to Save Denuclearisation Talks Looms
By Sarah Jenkins
“The dialogue touted by the US is, in essence, nothing but a foolish trick hatched to keep the DPRK bound to dialogue and use it in favour of the political situation and election in the US,” he said, referring to North Korea by its formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. “What is left to be done now is the US option and it is entirely up to the US what Christmas gift it will select to get.”
Kim has said he would seek a “new path” if the US persists with sanctions and pressure. The North has tested a series of new solid-fuel missile systems in recent months, which experts say potentially expands its ability to strike targets in South Korea and Japan. It has also threatened to lift a self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile tests and resume launches over Japan.
After the North tested its first intercontinental ballistic missile in July 2017, Kim called the missile a “package of gifts” to the Americans for their Fourth of July holiday.
The North has poured huge resources into the rebuilding of Samjiyon, the closest town to the dormant volcano that straddles the border with China. The project is on a vast scale and includes a museum of revolutionary activities, a winter sports training complex, processing plants for blueberries and potatoes, and 10,000 flats.
Why is Kim Jong-un riding a horse up a sacred mountain? Some clues from North Korean history
Why is Kim Jong-un riding a horse up a sacred mountain? Some clues from North Korean history
Kim had “worked heart and soul to turn Samjiyon County, the sacred place of the revolution, into the utopia town under socialism”, the North’s official KCNA news agency said.
According to North Korean propaganda the elder Kim was born at the nearby Mount Paektu Secret Camp where his own father Kim Il-sung was fighting the Japanese – although independent historians and Soviet records say he was actually born in Russia, where the North’s founder was in exile.
This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: ‘Christmas gift’ up to you, US warned
Sarah Jenkins is a veteran tech journalist with over 12 years of experience covering artificial intelligence, mobile innovations, and digital ethics. Her insights have appeared in leading technology publications worldwide.
