A senior official from the reclusive communist regime in North Korea issued a statement on Sunday saying that President Joe Biden “made a big blunder” in a recent speech to Congress by calling Pyongyang a security threat.
In his first address to a joint session of Congress on April 28, Biden flagged the nuclear program in Iran and North Korea as “serious threats to American security.”
“On Iran and North Korea—nuclear programs that present serious threats to American security and the security of the world—we’re going to be working closely with our allies to address the threats posed by both of these countries through diplomacy, as well as stern deterrence,” Biden said.
Senior North Korean Foreign Ministry official Kwon Jong Gun issued a response to Biden on May 2 signaling that the North assessed Biden’s remarks as “hostile policy” and warned of “corresponding measures.”
“His statement clearly reflects his intent to keep enforcing the hostile policy toward the DPRK as it had been done by the U.S. for over half a century,” Kwon said in a statement. DPRK stands for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the official name of the communist nation.
“It is certain that the U.S. chief executive made a big blunder in the light of the present-day viewpoint,” Kwon said. “Now that the keynote of the U.S. new DPRK policy has become clear, we will be compelled to press for corresponding measures, and with time the U.S. will find itself in a very grave situation.”
The direct criticism of the U.S. commander in chief is a sharp departure from the state of play during the administration of President Donald Trump, who fostered an unprecedented relationship with the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un. Trump and Kim had several face-to-face meetings, including a brief encounter on North Korean soil, a first for a sitting American president.
