North Korea Criticizes South Korea's Lee Over Denuclearization Remarks in US

North Korean state media sharply criticized South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's call for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula during his recent speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. They dismissed his vision as a 'vain delusion' and labeled Lee a 'hypocrite' and 'maniac for confrontation,' accusing South Korea of blindly following the United States without understanding the nature of North Korea's nuclear program. Despite Lee's emphasis on pursuing denuclearization for lasting peace and enhancing the South Korea-U.S. alliance, Pyongyang reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining nuclear weapons as a necessary deterrent against external threats. Notably, North Korean media avoided mentioning U.S. President Donald Trump's recent summit with Lee or his intent to meet Kim Jong Un again this year, likely to avoid provoking the U.S. while signaling openness to dialogue. Meanwhile, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was reported visiting a fishing village, praising its development, signaling ongoing domestic focus alongside the diplomatic tensions. These exchanges underscore persistent divisions between the Koreas over nuclear policy despite recent efforts by Seoul to ease tensions, such as removing anti-North Korean loudspeakers and discussing past inter-Korean agreements.