North labels Park’s trip to Beijing ‘disgusting’

North Korea yesterday denounced President Park Geun-hye’s state visit to China, calling it “a disgusting” attempt to earn support from its longtime communist ally.

The Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea, an organization under the North’s ruling Workers’ Party in charge of inter-Korean affairs, issued a strongly-worded statement yesterday condemning Park’s four-day trip a day after her return Sunday.

An unnamed spokesperson of the committee criticized the South Korean president’s comments on North Korean nuclear disarmament, calling them “a grave provocation,” “an insult,” and “defamation.”

“During the course of the summit, press conferences and a university lecture, she persistently stuck to the matter of ‘North Korea’s nuclear weapons’ and expressed ‘concerns,’ saying she couldn’t ‘tolerate’ them,” the spokesperson said. “She denounced our two-track policy viciously and called it ‘an impossible scheme.’?” According to Pyongyang, it is developing nuclear weapons and working for economic rejuvenation in a two-track process.

“The intention of Park Geun-hye is disarming us through a foreign power [China] and changing our regime,” it continued, “which is a daydream illusion.

“Park Geun-hye struggled to earn the support from them [China]. Her brazen-faced misbehavior was indeed disgusting.”

Still, the committee added, “We are still keeping our eyes on Park Geun-hye with our last remaining tolerance.”

In a joint communique with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, Park and the Chinese leader said, “North Korea’s nuclear arms development is a serious threat to Northeast Asia” and “China welcomes Park’s Korea Peninsula trust process.”

According to the Blue House, it was the first time the two countries’ presidents stipulated in a joint statement that they are working together to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.

About North Korea’s so-called “two-track” strategy, Park said in a speech at Tsinghua University Saturday that it is an “impossible” plan that “only prompts its isolation” from the international community.

Seoul’s Ministry of Unification criticized Pyongyang’s response.

“North Korea once again mentioned the name of the president and condemned her,” Kim Hyung-suk, spokesman of the ministry, said. “It is very regrettable that North Korea uses inappropriate expressions and words toward a leader of a nation.”

“Such behavior by North Korea is really shameful in front of the international community,” Kim continued.

BY KIM HEE-JIN [heejin@joongang.co.kr]