‘Hey, Obama’: N. Korea lambastes US president in nuclear-themed letter from ‘Lincoln’
Published time: 12 Apr, 2016 23:23
Edited time: 12 Apr, 2016 23:31
North Korea is using US history to mock the President Barack Obama in an open letter from his 19th century presidential predecessor, Abraham Lincoln. Writing in the voice of Lincoln, the sanctions-struck North criticized Washington’s take on Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions.
Titled simply “Lincoln’s advice to Obama,” the letter was published only in Korean in a local DPRK Today news outlet on Monday.
The latest anti-American propaganda piece is written in the supposed voice of America’s 16th president, Honest Abe, and aims to lambaste Obama over his alleged nuclear hypocrisy.
“Hey, Obama,” the fake Lincoln writes, according to an AP-edited Google translation. “I know you have a lot on your mind these days … I’ve decided to give you a little advice after seeing you lost in thought before my portrait during a recent Easter Prayer Breakfast.”
“Lincoln” then gets straight to the point, assuming the US president had been contemplating a nuclear-free world. He accuses Obama of failing to disarm the US, while Washington continues to discourage nuclear proliferation.
“If the United States, a country with the world’s largest nuclear weapons stockpile, only pays lip service, like a parrot, and doesn’t do anything actively, it will be a mockery to the entire world,” the letter advised, adding, “the world doesn’t trust an America that doesn’t take responsibility for what it says.”
“The tactic by past American presidents, including me, who deceived the people … is outdated. That doesn’t work now,” the fake Lincoln writes.
He even recalled Obama’s speech in Prague seven years ago, when the president expressed his commitment to global nuclear disarmament. Here, “Lincoln” again pointed to what it considered American hypocrisy.
“You talked boastfully how you would try your best even though it may seem impossible to realize such a world in your term, but how much progress have you made so far?” the letter said. “None. Instead of abolishing nuclear weapons, the US modernized its nuclear arms and conducted the ‘B61-12’ nuclear test in Nevada last year.”
Following its recent increased missile and nuclear tests, Pyongyang faced a “robust” round of sanctions, which prohibited Americans from operating in any industry in the North Korean economy, including transportation, mining, energy or financial services.
Before that, in a March 2 vote, the United Nations Security Council unanimously approved one of its toughest sets of sanctions yet targeting the state.
It included the mandatory inspections of cargo leaving and entering the state by land, sea or air, while also banning all sales or transfers of small arms and light weapons to Pyongyang. The UN punishment stipulates the expulsion of those diplomats from the North who engage in “illicit activities.”
Using the words of Lincoln’s Gettysburg address, Pyongyang lectured Obama on not heeding “the truth.”
“I said this once when I was alive, but I’ll say this once more. The government of the people by the people for the people shall not perish from the earth. This is the truth,” the letter reads.
“Lincoln” also appeared to be aware of a Washington nuclear summit on April 1. In North Korea, the Obama-hosted event was marked by a new anti-aircraft rocket system test.
Leader Kim Jong-un personally visited the site, calling the test another demonstration of the country’s military prowess amid the “nonsensical” summit.
In early March, North Korea fired six short range missiles into the Sea of Japan, just hours after the UN imposed its sanctions.
