‘Hypocrite’: North Korea slams South Korean President Lee Jae Myung over denuclearisation remarks; calls it ‘naive dream’

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung

North Korea on Wednesday lashed out at South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, calling him a “hypocrite” after he raised the issue of denuclearisation during his visit to the United States this week.Speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington on Monday, Lee said the Seoul–Washington alliance would be “upgraded to a global level” when “there is a path for denuclearisation, peace and coexistence on the Korean Peninsula.” Later at the White House, he urged US president Donald Trump to play a role in easing tensions with Pyongyang. “The only person who can make progress is you Mr President,” Lee said, as quoted by AFP. “If you become the peacemaker, then I will assist you by being a pacemaker,” he added.Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) dismissed Lee’s remarks, saying he had “pretended that he had a will to restore the relations” but revealed “his true colours as a confrontation maniac” and a “hypocrite.” KCNA added that Lee’s mention of “‘denuclearisation’ is a little short of a naive dream like trying to catch a cloud floating in the sky.” North Korea has long insisted it will never abandon its nuclear programme. Since the collapse of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s 2019 summit with Trump in Hanoi, Pyongyang has declared itself an “irreversible” nuclear state. On Wednesday, KCNA reaffirmed the position, stating the North would “remain unchanged in our stand not to abandon the nuclear weapons, the prestige and honor of the state.”Lee, who assumed office in June, has pledged to pursue warmer ties with the North and to build “military trust.” During a visit to Tokyo last week, he and Japanese prime minister Shigeru Ishiba “reaffirmed our shared commitment to the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.”Trump, who met Kim three times during his previous presidency, told Lee he hoped to meet the North Korean leader again, possibly this year. Despite once saying he and Kim had fallen “in love,” Trump’s diplomacy failed to produce a lasting agreement, AFP reported.In the meantime, Kim has deepened his partnership with Moscow, gaining Russian support after dispatching thousands of North Korean troops to fight alongside Russian forces in Ukraine.