North Korean authorities conducted lectures criticizing South Korea immediately after South Korean President Lee Jae-myung visited the United States. The authorities appear to have begun openly criticizing the South after detecting a partial mood shift in Lee’s favor.
According to a Daily NK source in North Pyongan province recently, anti-South Korean lectures were held in some neighborhood watch units in the Sinuiju area on Sept. 27.
The lecturer spent time denigrating Lee’s visit to Washington, saying he “went to the United States to act as a stooge of U.S. imperialism” and that he “quietly nodded his head before the U.S. president and acted like a puppet.”
The lecturer said South Korea “continues to rely on the United States, even though it could live on its own,” and that South Korea is “led around like a dog with no backbone, regardless of who its president is.”
Essentially, the lecturer argued that despite the change in administration in Seoul, South Korea’s slavishly pro-American politics continue.
Authorities move quickly to counter positive sentiment
The authorities’ decision to hold such lectures criticizing South Korea immediately after Lee’s return from his first visit to the United States to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump appears to stem from their sense of growing public appreciation for the South Korean government, and Lee in particular.
Sinuiju residents get international news and updates faster than those in other regions, thanks to the city’s location on the border with China. After hearing about Lee’s visit to Washington and its outcomes, authorities organized anti-South Korean lectures to quickly counter any positive views of the South Korean government.
The North Korean government appears to be highly sensitive to news about South Korea reaching its citizens, possibly because they perceive a growing positive view of the new Seoul administration within North Korea.
In fact, some North Koreans have expressed hope since Lee extended an olive branch to the North during his address to mark National Liberation Day on Aug. 15. People have expressed optimism about improved relations and the possibility that eased border controls could create economic opportunities.
Since these responses contradict the “two hostile states” doctrine upheld by the ruling party, North Korean authorities will likely act swiftly to stop favorable opinions toward the South from spreading.
Daily NK was unable to determine whether similar lectures criticizing South Korea were held in regions other than Sinuiju.
