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North Korea calls Israel 'cancerous entity,' denounces 'wanton violation of international law'

Published: 19 Jun. 2025, 14:59 Updated: 20 Jun. 2025, 11:00

Smoke rises from a fire in Tehran in this image obtained from a video released June 17. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

North Korea on Thursday denounced Israel for its airstrike on Iran, calling it “a cancerous entity for the peace in the Middle East and a chief culprit of destroying global peace and security.”

However, Pyongyang appeared to tone down its criticism of the United States, referring to Washington only as “support and patron” rather than naming it directly.

A spokesperson for North Korea’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement via the state-run Korean Central News Agency titled, “The aggressive forces who brought a new war to the Middle East will never evade the responsibility for destroying global peace.”

"Israel's reckless military attack on civilians in wanton violation of international law and the basic principle of the UN Charter is a hideous act of aggression wantonly violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of a sovereign state and an unpardonable crime against humanity,” read the statement, adding that North Korea “expresses serious concern over the Israel's military attack and resolutely denounces it.”

The spokesperson went on to criticize the United States and its Western allies, saying, “The international community is strictly watching the U.S. and Western forces fanning up the flames of war, taking issue with the legitimate sovereign right and exercise of the right to self-defense of Iran, the victim, far from condemning Israel for getting frantic with the territorial expansion, pushing the situation in the Middle East to an uncontrollable catastrophic phase.”

Smoke rises following an Israeli attack in Tehran on June 18. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

The statement also pointed out that “Israel has steadily expanded its territory through four Middle East wars and tens of military invasions in the past,” adding that “it has escalated military attacks on the Gaza Strip of Palestine, the West Bank of the Jordan River, Lebanon, Syria and other regional countries step by step, thus massacring tens of thousands of civilians and creating a serious humanitarian crisis.”

The statement proclaimed that “the Zionists who brought a new war to the Middle East and the behind-the-scene forces who zealously patronize and support them will be held totally responsible for destroying international peace and security.”

North Korea has consistently supported Iran and Syria in times of Middle Eastern unrest and regularly criticizes Israel, a U.S. ally. This was Pyongyang’s first response since Israel’s April 13 airstrike on Iran.

Both North Korea and Iran are suspected suppliers of arms to Russia and maintain close ties with Moscow. North Korea signed a comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia in June of last year, while Iran concluded a similar treaty with Russia in January.

“What stands out is that North Korea sharply criticized Israel while moderating its tone toward the United States," said an official at South Korea’s Ministry of Unification said Thursday at the government complex in central Seoul.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY CHO MUN-GYU [[email protected]]