February 13, 2025
SEOUL – North Korea chided US President Donald Trump over his repeatedly stated expansionist ambitions to own the Gaza Strip, purchase Greenland and regain control of the Panama Canal as well as his order to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”
In a Korean Central News Agency commentary released Wednesday titled “Oppressive and Ruthless Plunderer— This Is America,” the Kim Jong-un regime on Wednesday criticized Trump’s unorthodox foreign policy — notably without once mentioning Trump’s name.
The KCNA commentary instead rebuked the “current United States administration.”
The commentary stated, “On the 4th, the current US administration publicly declared that it would take over the Gaza Strip if the Palestinians there were relocated elsewhere,” citing Trump’s remarks from a Feb. 4 joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The commentary, without naming Trump, condemned his repeated claims over the Gaza Strip as proof of the US intent to “expand a new foothold for its Middle East domination strategy.”
“The US’ innate nature of surviving through slaughter and plunder, along with its hegemonic and aggressive ambition for global domination, is not merely a thing of history but is being clearly demonstrated through today’s reality in Gaza,” the Korean-language commentary read.
“This is by no means an issue confined to the Gaza Strip.”
The commentary also listed Trump’s expansionist statements, calling for the US to “immediately stop violating the dignity and sovereignty of other nations and peoples.”
“The current US administration, from the moment it took office, is brazenly committing reckless acts that mock international law and principles without hesitation by having schemed to incorporate Greenland as part of the US, asserted jurisdiction over the Panama Canal and renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the ‘Gulf of America,’” the commentary read.
“The sovereignty, right to self-determination, and territorial integrity of nations and peoples can never be subjects of bargaining or mockery by the US.”
The KCNA commentary also appeared on the sixth page of Rodong Sinmun, the ruling Workers’ Party’s official newspaper and a key propaganda tool for domestic audiences.
North Korea has been issuing statements with greater frequency and intensity, denouncing the US as an imperialist force seeking global dominance through power while reinforcing the perception that strengthening its military and nuclear capabilities is a legitimate response to US-originated threats.
During a Feb. 8 visit to the Defense Ministry to mark the 77th anniversary of the Korean People’s Army, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said, “The dark shadow of the US, invariably lurking behind conflicts both large and small and bloody ravages around the world today, serves as evidence that our Party and government’s policy of pursuing limitless defense capabilities is the most justified.”
While North Korea’s state-run media has repeatedly portrayed the US as the root of regional and global threats, it has yet to issue any statements directly targeting Trump since his inauguration.
The only time North Korean media has mentioned Trump by name since his election victory was in a brief two-line report on Jan. 22, referencing his swearing-in and inauguration ceremony on Jan. 20. Trump has repeatedly boasted about his friendship with Kim Jong-un and expressed openness to meeting him again.