North Korea condemns ‘chaos’ caused by Yoon’s imposition of martial law in Seoul

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North Korea lashed out at Pyongyang’s first official comments on the crisis in democracy in its neighbor since South Korean President Yun Seok-yeol’s failed attempt to impose martial law last week.

“Korean Central News Agency” reported that “Faced with a serious crisis of governance and impeachment, the puppet Yun Seok-yeol suddenly declared martial law and blatantly used fascist dictatorial weapons against the people, plunging the entire South Korea into chaos and confusion and shocking the country.” According to NK News, a Seoul-based news agency. Translator for the agency, the official mouthpiece of Kim Jong Un’s regime.

Yoon faced widespread calls for impeachment after declaring martial law last Tuesday and was forced to rescind his statement six hours later. He has already passed an impeachment vote and is currently under investigation for treason.

The KCNA report was featured prominently in North Korea’s main newspapers on Wednesday and was accompanied by photos of massive public protests in the South Korean capital over the past week.

The report made no mention of Yoon’s attempts to justify martial law by accusing South Korea’s left-wing majority in the National Assembly of plotting rebellion and harboring North Korean sympathies.

While Pyongyang’s propagandists appear to be mocking the situation in South Korea for domestic purposes, analysts say it’s impossible to predict whether North Korea will try to exacerbate instability in Seoul, possibly through a nuclear weapons test, or show restraint before returning to office The election of Donald Trump and the possible resumption of negotiations with the United States.

Trump became the first sitting president to visit North Korea in his first term, part of an unprecedented period of brinkmanship and negotiations between the leaders of North Korea and the United States.

However, the talks ultimately stalled, with Joe Biden’s administration placing less emphasis on Washington’s nuclear talks with North Korea and focusing instead on countering China’s rise.

“The problem is that both Kim and Trump tend to escalate negotiations, so even though we think they may be looking to resume negotiations, that doesn’t necessarily mean stability,” Andrew Gilholm, director of China and South Korea analysis at Control, told Control Risks, a geopolitical risk advisory firm.

Uncertainty about what Trump will do with North Korea’s nuclear arsenal also comes amid growing concerns about closer ties between Kim Jong Un and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Nato last week accused Russia of aiding North Korea’s nuclear program in exchange for Pyongyang sending troops to help its war in Ukraine.

Analysts also pointed out that South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, the frontrunner to be the next president, may follow the footsteps of Yoon Jae-in’s predecessor Moon Jae-in and resume a softer engagement policy with North Korea.