North Korean media accused South Korean President Jun Suk Jeol of introducing a “dictatorship against his own people” and described his country as a “gangster state.” This is the first official reaction of North Korea, which is a totalitarian dictatorship, to the political crisis that erupted after a failed attempt to impose martial law in the South.
The comment by North Korea's KCNA news agency, published on Wednesday, referred to last week's events when President Jun Suk Jeol introduced martial lawexplaining this by the need to combat “pro-North Korean, anti-state forces.” The decision was annulled by the South Korean parliament but caused political chaos in the country.
“The puppet Jun Suk Jeol, who was already facing a serious governance crisis and impeachment, suddenly declared martial law and turned the weapons of fascist dictatorship on the people,” the KCNA article said. The agency described the president's actions as “insane” and added that South Korea is a “gangster state”.
READ ALSO: Six-hour martial law. What was it about in South Korea?
“Weaknesses of South Korean society”
Martial law, imposed by Jun for just six hours, led to mass protests in South Korea. Thousands of citizens appeared on the streets with banners calling for the president's impeachment, as well as popular light-up K-pop gadgets.
Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party, noted military involvement during the brief martial law. Additionally, the newspaper drew attention to protests by Southern citizens that would never be allowed in the North.
South Korean President Jun Suk Jeol declares martial lawPAP/EPA/SOUTH KOREA PRESIDENT OFFICE / YONHAP / HANDOUT
“The international community is closely watching this, and assessments indicate that the martial law incident has exposed the weaknesses of South Korean society and that Jun Suk Jeol's political life may soon end,” writes “Rodong Sinmun.”
“His (Jun Suk Jeola -ed.) crazy act was met with strong condemnation from all quarters, including the opposition party, and further inflamed the public's fervor for impeachment,” the article said.
Democratic rivals 'commit self-harm'
According to the Guardian, experts suggest that North Korea may try to exploit the turmoil in the south for his political purposes. – Leaders Russia, Chinaand especially North Korea, are probably watching the political unrest in South Korea with satisfaction, sensing a geopolitical advantage, said Professor Leif-Eric Easley from Ewha University in Seoul.
Easley added that “authoritarian regimes like North Korea believe that if they can stay in power, they will outlast democratic rivals who ultimately self-harm, fall into dysfunction, and lose allies.”
According to experts, as we read in the Guardian, Pyongyang hopes that the weakening of the government in Seoul will make it more difficult for South Korea to cooperate with its allies.
The introduction of martial law and political chaos in South Korea are the country's greatest democratic crisis in decades. Last week, the South Korean Ministry of Defense had to officially confirm that President Jun remains the commander of the armed forces, which only increased the scale of tensions in the country.
Main photo source: PAP/EPA/KCNA