South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s recent summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba was criticised by their neighbouring nation North Korea, who on Monday referred to the meeting as a diplomatic show aimed at dispelling Washington’s “misunderstanding”.
The criticism was published by the North’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) after President Lee’s and his Japanese counterpart Ishiba on Saturday, reports Yonhap News Agency, where they highlighted the importance of strengthening their bilateral and trilateral with the US.
The summit with Japan was held before the South Korean leader’s scheduled talks with US President Donald Trump in Washington DC on Monday.
The North Korean news agency commented that Lee Jae Myung meeting with Japan before heading towards the US “seems to ignore the tradition of pro-US subservient diplomacy,” adding that, “the US distrust in the present (Republic of Korea) ruler and his worries as a servant of the US.”
Accusing Lee of his “pro-Japanese attitude”, KCNA claimed the Seoul-Tokyo summit was an attempt to use the “peace” in the region as to his advantage.
The statement ended with KCNA warning North Korea will not remain an onlooker to the “worrying situation” influenced by the US and their hegemony.