NEW YORK: North Korea suggested on Thursday (Jun 11) that United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres might be pretending to act like a drunk as the country slammed comments by his spokesman on Pyongyang's decision to sever hotlines with South Korea.
Guterres regretted North Korea's announcement on the hotlines, warning that such channels "are necessary to avoid misunderstandings or miscalculations," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Wednesday.
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"We cannot but express our astonishment over such reckless remarks – devoid of the common sense of judgment, let alone the basic knowledge of inter-Korean relations – coming out from the center of the United Nations," a spokesperson for North Korea's Foreign Affairs Ministry told KCNA state news agency.
Pyongyang's decision, announced on Tuesday, marks a new setback to stalled efforts to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons. For several days, North Korea had been lashing out at South Korea because it was not stopping defectors from sending leaflets and other material into the North.
READ: North Korea says it will sever hotlines with South Korea
"It is only the UN Secretary-General himself who would know whether he is pretending to blind himself to the articles of inter-Korean agreement on ceasing all hostilities against the other party or pretending to be knowingly drunken," the foreign affairs ministry spokesperson said.
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The spokesperson said the remarks from the UN "cannot be overlooked" and accused Guterres of siding with the United States by expressing inappropriate and biased views, adding: "We nRead More – Source
NEW YORK: North Korea suggested on Thursday (Jun 11) that United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres might be pretending to act like a drunk as the country slammed comments by his spokesman on Pyongyang's decision to sever hotlines with South Korea.
Guterres regretted North Korea's announcement on the hotlines, warning that such channels "are necessary to avoid misunderstandings or miscalculations," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Wednesday.
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"We cannot but express our astonishment over such reckless remarks – devoid of the common sense of judgment, let alone the basic knowledge of inter-Korean relations – coming out from the center of the United Nations," a spokesperson for North Korea's Foreign Affairs Ministry told KCNA state news agency.
Pyongyang's decision, announced on Tuesday, marks a new setback to stalled efforts to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons. For several days, North Korea had been lashing out at South Korea because it was not stopping defectors from sending leaflets and other material into the North.
READ: North Korea says it will sever hotlines with South Korea
"It is only the UN Secretary-General himself who would know whether he is pretending to blind himself to the articles of inter-Korean agreement on ceasing all hostilities against the other party or pretending to be knowingly drunken," the foreign affairs ministry spokesperson said.
Advertisement
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The spokesperson said the remarks from the UN "cannot be overlooked" and accused Guterres of siding with the United States by expressing inappropriate and biased views, adding: "We nRead More – Source
