North Korea steps up rhetoric against South, U.S. on Korean War anniversary

North Korea on Thursday marked the 76th anniversary of the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War with a barrage of propaganda urging ideological mobilization and renewed resistance against the United States and South Korea.

The ruling Workers' Party newspaper Rodong Sinmun carried a front-page editorial titled, "Let all the people become defenders of the revolution and vanguard fighters of the class armed firmly with anti-imperialist class consciousness."

"Let us prepare ourselves as defenders of the revolution and vanguard fighters of the class, filled with soaring hatred toward U.S. imperialists and class enemies and with the determination to wipe them out, so that we achieve a decisive victory in the anti-imperialist, anti-U.S. confrontation and further glorify our style of socialism," the newspaper said.

It also warned against weakening ideological commitment among younger generations.

"Ensuring that the new generation firmly carries forward the baton of class struggle is a crucial task directly tied to the fate of the homeland and the future of the revolution,” it said.

The newspaper also urged citizens to remain on guard against the United States and South Korea, regardless of how the situation evolves.

"If we carelessly deal with enemies who approach us with false smiles and harbor even the slightest illusion, our perception of the principal enemy will become blurred and the tragic decade could be repeated," the newspaper said.

"The people and service members of the Korean People's Army must not entertain even the slightest illusion or lingering hope for the enemy or for peace, no matter how the situation changes."

On the same day, in a separate commentary on page six, the newspaper repeated its longstanding claim that the Korean War began with what it described as South Korea's invasion of the North, which it said was carried out under a carefully orchestrated U.S. plan.

“In the early hours of June 25, 1950, the South Korean puppet army launched an armed invasion against our republic,” the newspaper said. "It was because of the U.S. imperialists' war provocation that our people and military had no choice but to wage a grim 1,129-day war to defend our nation, repel the imperialist invasion and defend our destiny and future."

The newspaper also rejected the legitimacy of the United Nations Command's participation in the war under a United Nations Security Council resolution.  

“It was entirely based on a script written by the U.S. imperialists and therefore completely illegal,” it said.

North Korea also held a series of "vow of revenge" rallies across the country, aimed at stoking hostility toward the United States and South Korea.

The Korean Central News Agency reported that officials and members of the Socialist Women's Union held a rally on Wednesday at the Central Class Education House in Pyongyang, where they "strongly condemned the unforgivable crimes of the U.S. imperialists in the name of all the mothers and women of the country."

At a separate rally for young people and students held at the Pyongyang Youth Park Open-Air Theater, participants repeated the claim that the Korean War began with a U.S. invasion of the North.

"Whenever we mark June 25, which brought unprecedented devastation to our homeland, our surging hatred toward our sworn enemy, the U.S. imperialists, grows even stronger," the participants said.

North Korea also refers to the Korean War as the Fatherland Liberation War and commemorates the anniversary of its outbreak each year as a day of struggle against U.S. imperialism, using it as part of ideological education for its citizens.

BY HAN YOUNG-HYE [[email protected]]