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A screenshot of the Sept. 16 edition of the Rodong Sinmun
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Rodong Sinmun refers to “warm winds of national reconciliation and unity”
The North Korean press has been touting “dramatic changes” on the Korean Peninsula ahead of an inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang on Sept. 18–20. In a Sept. 16 column titled “A New Era of Autonomous Unification Embraced by the Noble Love of a Nation,” the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) newspaper Rodong Sinmun wrote, “Warm winds of national reconciliation and unity are blowing on this land, which has been frozen over with distrust and antagonism.” “Gateways of dialogue, contact, and interaction are opening between North and South, and invaluable results are being achieved that give reason for optimism about peace, prosperity, and a future of reunification,” the newspaper said, citing two previous inter-Korean summits at Panmunjeom on Apr. 27 and May 26. Referring to a Sept. 5 meeting between leader Kim Jong-un and a visiting special envoy delegation in Pyongyang representing South Korean President Moon Jae-in, the piece said, “In South Korea, anticipation and interest toward the historic summit in Pyongyang are reaching unprecedented heights.” Meanwhile, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) published a Sept. 15 piece titled “Incompetent Grumblings That Ignore the Trends,” in which it criticized remarks by Japanese Foreign Minister Tano Kono describing the idea of a Korean War-ending declaration taking place within the year – as indicated in the Apr. 27 Panmunjom Declaration – as being “premature.” “The Japanese Foreign Minister’s uncalled-for remarks reveal a foul disposition and the desire to conceal the pitiful position of those forced completely onto the periphery and stick their nose in regional issues by encouraging a climate of antagonism,” the piece read. By Noh Ji-won, staff reporter Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
