North Korea on Wednesday lashed out at the address by South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Liberation Day earlier this week when she called on the North to abandon its development of weapons of mass destruction.

In a statement released by North Korea’s Committee for Peaceful Reunification, it called Park’s speech a “brazen gripe to hide the guilt of forcing the inter-Korean relations into a ruin.”

The statement then went onto protest South Korea’s decision to deploy an advanced missile shield system of the US, and last year’s agreement with Japan to set up funds for the victims of sexual slavery.

It elaborated on its condemnation against Park by saying, “The entire people (of Korea) are bursting with outrage at Park Geun-hye’s spineless act of treason by committing an unacceptable antinationalistic crime of bringing in the US’ aggressive THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system) and attempting to cover up the unpardonable sin by the enemy, Japan, including its sexual slavery in return for a few pennies.”

The statement added that the force damaging peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula was the US and its followers.

In response, South Korea’s Unification Ministry slammed the North for insulting Park.

“The government strongly condemns North Korea for slandering Park using such vulgar language,” said ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-hee.

“North Korea should first face the fact that the international community denounces Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile provocations.”

This year, following its fourth nuclear test in January and the consequent UN sanctions in March, the North has conducted 13 missile launches, including six intermediate-range Musudan missiles.

It has vowed to take “counteractions” against Seoul and Washington’s deployment of THAAD in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province.

Officials and experts have said Pyongyang is likely to carry out another provocation ahead of the joint annual military drills between the allies slated to begin on Aug. 22.

(khnews@heraldcorp.com)