North Korea Taunts US Over Protests

'Demonstrators enraged by the extreme racists throng even to the White House'
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 4, 2020 10:10 AM CDT
North Korea Taunts US Over Protests
In this 2018 photo, Kim Yo Jong, right, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, with her brother as he signs a joint statement following a summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in.   (Pyongyang Press Corps Pool via AP, File)

North Korea has taken note of the George Floyd protests, and it's not exactly sending a note of support. "Demonstrators enraged by the extreme racists throng even to the White House," says a statement in one of the main state-run newspapers. "This is the reality in the US today." The context: The North says the US has no right to criticize China about human rights violations in Hong Kong when it's threatening to "unleash dogs" on its own protesters, reports Reuters. Pyongyang criticized Mike Pompeo in particular for his anti-China comments of late, saying he "has become too ignorant to discern where the sun rises and where it sets." The meaning: The North is suggesting that America is on the wane (a setting sun) and being overtaken by China (a rising sun), per the New York Times.

The North also made headlines on another front Thursday. Kim Jong Un's powerful sister, Kim Yo Jong, denounced as "human scum" North Korean defectors in the South who send balloons with anti-regime messages back over the border, reports the BBC. She said if the South didn't stop the balloons, the North would end its agreement to operate a joint liaison office and to end border hostilities. South Korea's government said the balloons cause "tension" and promised to crack down, though the BBC talks to balloon launchers who say they have no intention of stopping. "If the leaflets get blocked, then we will send drones," says one. "They cannot stop us." (More North Korea stories.)

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