North Korea on Monday sharply condemned what it called “shameless” actions by the United States that, it says, undermine the authority of the United Nations and constitute a “hideous criminal act.” The denunciation came in an unusually pointed statement from Pyongyang’s permanent mission to the UN in New York, carried by the state media Korean Central News Agency.
In its statement, North Korea blasted reported U.S. plans to hold a briefing at UN headquarters on alleged violations of sanctions imposed on Pyongyang over its nuclear and missile programs. Rather than address those allegations, the North Korean mission argued, the world body should focus on what it views as egregious U.S. conduct. “What should be questioned and openly discussed in the UN as the most important pending issue is the hideous criminal act of the U.S.,” the statement said, accusing Washington of despising the very existence of the United Nations.
Though Pyongyang did not explicitly name the act it was referring to, the remarks come just over a week after a U.S. military operation in Venezuela resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, an event that has drawn widespread global attention. North Korean officials have long expressed fear of so-called “decapitation strikes” and have accused the United States of seeking regime change.
The North also criticized what it described as a “multilateral sanctions monitoring team” formed outside the official UN framework, calling its activities illegal and illegitimate. Pyongyang said efforts to legitimize that body at the United Nations are a mockery of the institution and its charter.
In addition, North Korea dismissed accusations of cyber threats and other sanctions breaches as fabricated. The mission urged UN member states to reject U.S. tactics, alleging they serve geopolitical self-interest rather than international justice.
The statement also referenced recent moves by the Trump administration to withdraw the United States from several UN organizations it deems contrary to U.S. interests, an escalation that has drawn concerns from global diplomats about the future cohesion of the international body.
