North slams U.S. hostility toward regime, hints that Iran got bombed because it had no nukes

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North slams U.S. hostility toward regime, hints that Iran got bombed because it had no nukes

Published: 03 Jul. 2025, 13:05

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

North Korea criticized the United States’ policy of hostility toward the North on July 3 in an article in the state-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun. [NEWS1]

North Korea on Thursday criticized the United States’ policy toward the regime, claiming that Washington's ambition to invade the North remains unchanged.

The statement appears to be a response to U.S. President Donald Trump, who recently launched airstrikes on Iran's nuclear facilities while simultaneously signaling he wished to resume dialogue with North Korea.

In an article published by the state-run Rodong Sinmun on Thursday, the paper complained about continued South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises since the 1950-53 Korean War.

It added that the United States continues to adhere to its hostile policy toward the North by regularly deploying strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula.

It went on to stress the need for the North to continue strengthening its power, citing the plight of certain countries that suffered brutal humiliation and became targets of invasion due to their military weakness.

North Korea's state-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported that Russian Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova attended cultural performances during her visit to Pyongyang on June 30. [NEWS1]

This appears to be an indirect criticism of the U.S. strike on Iranian nuclear facilities, used by North Korea to justify its policy of strengthening its nuclear arsenal. However, it stopped short of directly mentioning or criticizing Trump, leaving room for flexibility.

“North Korea is indirectly criticizing the United States for its airstrikes on Iran while justifying its own nuclear buildup,” said Oh Kyung-seob, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification. “The message is that unless there is a change in the U.S. policy of hostility toward the North, Pyongyang will not return to dialogue — especially as it now has Russia backing it.”

The Rodong Sinmun also reiterated its claim of being a nuclear-armed state and argued that the existing U.S.-led unipolar system was unraveling.

North Korea's state-run newspaper Rodong Sinmum reported on July 3 that the Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Tourist Area is a success, bustling with tourists from all over the country. [NEWS1]

It claimed that the balance of power in East Asia — an area central to Washington’s global strategy — has fundamentally shifted as the North has risen as a nuclear power, adding that a major rupture has formed in the imperialist system of domination.

“North Korea has recently been using state media to point out the weakening of the U.S.-led unipolar order and is preoccupied with building an anti-Western sphere of influence,” Oh said. “North Korea will continue strengthening ties with traditional allies like China and Russia that also seek to establish their own spheres of influence in the international community.”

Meanwhile, the Rodong Sinmun on Thursday ran a front-page article on the Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Tourist Area as part of a large-scale propaganda campaign, which is interpreted as an effort to highlight North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s achievements ahead of the ruling Workers’ Party’s 80th founding anniversary in October and the Ninth Party Congress later this year.

The newspaper reported that the sight of workers bathing in the rolling sea and people energetically riding water skis and speedboats was noteworthy, adding that laughter filled the Myeongsasimni outdoor water park as visitors enjoyed the thrill of plunging down steep and bowl-shaped water slides.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY CHUNG YEONG-GYO [[email protected]]